Fanfiction Archive

Reverse Grinching (5120 words) by Overlord_Mordax
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: victor creed & Cindy Moon
Characters: Victor Creed, Cindy Moon
Additional Tags: Fluff, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Best Friends, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack
Series: Part 5 of Marvel Comics Winter Short Standalones
Summary:

Victor Creed makes a surprise visit to his friend Cindy Moon’s house early on Christmas morning. Presents are involved.

It was so late at night it had become early in the morning, and Cindy Moon was deep asleep after an evening of patrolling a city covered in snow and ice. Thermal costume or not, it was cold swinging around the city, even if all the lights and displays were pretty enough from up above. There wasn’t even a last minute emergency, and she’d let herself go to bed early.

She woke up to the sound of someone moving around in her kitchen.

While her spider sense didn’t go crazy with the skin-crawling alarm bells of danger…the sound of footfalls and the presence of *another* in what was supposed to be her locked room sent her sitting bolt upright in bed.

It could have been anyone…from Pete sneaking a snack after being put in the doghouse back home, to someone coming to steal her brain to–

She didn’t know…

Let loose a demon?

She dealt with a lot of weird idiots.

Slowly, she slipped from bed, thankful for her pajamas…and slunk on silent footfalls towards her bedroom door.

No one intercepted her, but as she slowly opened the bedroom door, she heard off-key whistling from the direction of the noise, in addition to what was now even more evidently the smell of frying bacon. Did she even have bacon in the house?

Who was she kidding…

Bacon, on a Daily Bugle salary? It was basically instant noodles and wishful thinking in her diet these days…’cept when Felecia or…one of her various nemeses…took pity on her and took her out to eat somewhere.

Slowly she peered out from the door…organic webbing already dripping between her fingers as she prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.

The sound of a metal spatula scraping a pan. The light on in the kitchen. A six pack of beer on her table, with one already open.

And a large, imposing figure standing with his back to her, frying bacon on the stove.

Almost seven feet tall. Broad shoulders. A cascade of pale hair down his back.

And a red suit and black boots.

Cindy cleared her throat “Hey, Ka-Zar the Accountant.” She called out as she slipped out of her door and bumped it closed with her butt.

“Hey!” the intruder turned around to face her. It was… it was a Santa Claus suit. But Santa wasn’t in it, unless there was something really unusual up at the north pole this year. “I ain’t Ka-Zar any more than you’re Cindy Lou Who.”

Sabretooth grinned widely at her, baring his fangs, and holding a cast iron pan full of bacon in one hand. Her pink oven mitt– which would not fit on his hand– was instead wrapped around the handle.

“I’m a hell of a lot more than two.” Cindy said with a wry smirk, her hand on her hip.
“It’s been a long time, Sabretooth…last time I saw you…I dunno. You were less festive. Get a job at the mall? d’they still got those?”

She paced towards the table, taking in the smell of bacon and the not-as-strange-as-it-should-be presence of *noted criminal and mercenary Victor Creed* in her kitchen.

It wasn’t the first time. “That for me?”

“I was planning on wakin’ ya up when it was done if you weren’t already awake.” The mercenary beamed proudly, showing her the nicely crisped strips in the pan. “Got eggnog, too. Did the spidey alarm wake you up?””

There was also, Cindy noted, a large brown sack with a ribbon tied around it sitting in the corner. And he hadn’t answered about the job at the mall.

Cindy stared at the bag…and she stared at the pan of bacon.

And then she stared at his bright and carefree grin.
She had a thought, instantly shutting it down as stupid.

*Was Sabretooth pulling a grinch themed heist?*

No. that was dumb.

She flashed a grin as she leaned on the counter “the Spidey Alarm’s the only reliable alarm I can find , honestly. Like a built in ‘what the fuck is happening here’ meter. You said you had eggnog?”

“Yep. Put it in your fridge– you had uh, plenty o’ room in there, I noticed,” he grumbled. He was making himself free with her kitchen, grabbing one of her plates and setting the bacon on it on top of some of her paper towels. “Wanna grab it and I can pour us a couple? Merry Christmas, by the way. S’officially christmas now, if you were wondering.”

The clock on her wall said it was 4am, so Sabretooth was in fact, correct.

Cindy glanced up at the clock for a moment, squinting at it.

“Huuuuh.” She ran her hand through her short black hair, blinking owlishly at it. “No shit? I’d been out there hitting the city till like..midnight. Merry Christmas, big guy.”

She wandered to her fridge, popping it open and grabbing the eggnog bottle “as for the fridge…yeah. I’m on a new diet, Sabie.”

“Midnight huh? Sorry to wake ya up so early, figured you’d be snug as a bug in a rug by nine on christmas eve,” he said in a teasing voice. With the same casual attitude he cocked his head toward her and asked, “Poverty diet?”

Whatever had been in her fridge before– bottle of soy sauce and some half eaten kimchi?– she couldn’t find it behind the giant ham, bottle of eggnog, and various packages of food that had been squeezed inside it. There was even a box of Christmas cookies. Who even puts cookies in the fridge?

“sounds like you know it! It’s *real* popular with the Spiders lately. That plus, you know , crime never takes a holiday. With Great Power comes Terrible Sleeping habits, to borrow from Pete.”

Cindy laughed , even as she stared in shock at the feast that’d overtaken her fridge and hidden her scant leftovers.
“….” She looked over at him with a tilt of her head “…d..”

She pointed to the fridge “Didja steal me a roast beast, Grinchy?”

Sabretooth– who was now frying eggs– gave her a plaintive, puppy-dog look. “That what I get for bringin’ presents, doll? You asking me if I’m a criminal who don’t even take a holiday for Christmas?”

He stuck his lower lip out in a pout. “You *really* askin’ me that, peaches?”

Cindy stuck out her tongue as she grabbed the eggnog, and plopped it down beside him.

“I know if I asked the X-Men …Force……Corp? Whatever they’re going by these days…they’d say ‘absolutely’. But I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, big guy.”

She flushed, leaning on her hand with a lopsided grin. “You really brought lil’ ol me presents?”

“You mean besides the ham and the eggnog and shit?” he grinned, plating the eggs and shaking maybe just a little too much pepper all over them. “Damn right I did. Was havin’ kinda a lonely christmas this year, figured I’d come do a B&E on a pal.”

“Nobody should be lonely on the holidays.” Cindy chuckled “I don’t really celebrate it m’self…but usually at least one of my friends drags me out somewhere.”

She rubbed her neck “not this year though. You know how it is.”

She glanced up at him “You know. Only you’d think ‘I’m lonely, time to break into someone’s house and reverse rob them for Christmas’. ”

He laughed. “No way, I’m sure there’s one other famous guy who’d do that at least.” He tugged on the front of his santa costume and wiggled his eyebrows. “If you get my drift.”

Then he grabbed the plates and scooped them onto the table, clearing away the beers.

“*Fuck*,” Cindy cackled , turning a little pink. “Sabretooth, my man…”

She poured them each a little eggnog, and placed it on the table with a shake of her head. “How could anyone call you a bad guy. You’re a *dweeb*.”

She looked him over “You make a pretty good Mr. Claus though. You fill out the suit…and not the way those poems intended, neither.”

He laughed, and his belly absolutely did *not* shake like a bowl full of jelly. “Yeah, santa’s probably not on the carnivore diet. Not that I say no to a plate of cookies.”

He set a couple of glasses by the eggnog on the table, and plopped down in one of Cindy’s two chairs.

Cindy leaned on her hands with a wide grin.

“Well, seeing as you brought ’em, I don’t see any reason not to tuck in after this uh—” She looked at the clock, “–early breakfast.”

She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before she said “hey. Victor. I can call you Vic, right?”

“Yeah I told ya last time you could, right?” He leaned on his hand, looking at her over the table. “Hell call me anything you want, really. Fuck knows I do the same, eh?”

“You sure do.” She smirked. “I remember the shit you called me the first time we bumped shoulders. Back when I was trying to stop you from…what was it again?”

She snickered. “…Anyway. Vic. Thanks.” She gestured to the eggnog and the bacon “ever since I got out of that bunker…it’s not like I’ve had a lot of people chomping at the bit to gift me a feast like this.”

“Yeah I got that impression from that first chat we had,” he said, filling their glasses with eggnog– oh, WAY too much eggnog, aren’t you only supposed to have like half a cup– and taking a long drink of his. He gave himself a milk mustache. “And yeah it was assassinating that, uh, spider wizard wasn’t it? Or something? And then after you stopped me it turned out he was evil after all?”

That was not *exactly* how Cindy remembered it, but it was probably close enough.

“His name was the Spider-Magus.” Cindy said patiently as she raised her glass to her lips “and he was trying to ‘unweave the great web of fate’ so he could insert himself as one of the Spider Totems of the Web of Destiny.”

She took a long sip, soon having a matching milk mustache. “And yeah, he sucked but I needed him alive so I could fling him back to whatever shithole universe he crawled from.”

“Holy shit,” he laughed, licking his lip. “Yeah, that’s worse than what the X-Men get up to. Zany fucking alternate timeline BS. One time Logan told me about this one where I was blind and living at the X-Mansion. Weird shit. Assassination is easier.”

“You know.” she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand “Pete’d give me a look of distress if I said this, but you’re not *wrong*”

She held her hands up with a such is the fate of the Spider Bride. Queen? Yeah, it’s Queen now. I gotta deal with all this timeline shit. And demons. For some reason *everyone* wants me to fight, raise, or I dunno…empower? Screw? some kind of demon or another.”

She pointed at him with a piece of bacon “….now that reality sounds *weird*. Maybe I’ll stumble on it some time and give you a ring.”

He laughed, “If you do, tell the blind fuck I said hi. Sounds like he’s got it cushy enough for a crip me.” He shoved some bacon in his mouth. “Queen huh? Sweet upgrade, yer majesty.”

Cindy popped the bacon in her mouth “yeah, turns out the whole Spider Wife Spider Life thing was a fuckin’ misstranslation, or something? I’m the chosen one of the Spiderzone.”

She wiggled her fingers as she chewed “Crazy shit. You should start bowin’ down to me, Catman.”

“What, pulling cook duty wasn’t enough?” he huffed, with an amused look on his face. “But sure sure– I should be about your height if I kneel down anyway, shortround.”

Cindy blinked at him for a long moment over a bite of her bacon.

He looked at her across the table, mouth similarly full. “What?”

He paused and explained. “you’re short.”

“I’ve seen Indiana Jones, dude.” Cindy said after another bite of bacon, and an almost amused smirk “*Shortround*?”

“Hey, I don’t know how many of the classics you’ve seen,” he laughed. “Who can even keep track of time any more in between all the shit that goes on. But since ya know it, yeah, shortround. I can be Indiana Jones in this analogy. You know, him and me both being devil may care world traveling criminals.”

“You know Sabretooth.” Cindy said with a snort and a grin “that’s one thing I can count on you for. You ain’t under a single delusion that Indy’s supposed to be a good guy.”

“Not any more than James Bond, you know?” He nodded, pouring himself a little more eggnog. “I had Otto going on a rant about it, me playing devil’s advocate, one time and laughed like hell when I told him at the end I agreed with him the whole way.”

Cindy choked on her eggnoeg, before wheezing out “the look on the ol’ guy’s face must have been *priceless*”
She snickered “I would pay anything to see that. I bet it was *ado–* ” she cleared her throat “funny as shit.”

She pointed her glass towards him, “as for Shortround…you’re aimed a little south, man.”

“Huh?” he seemed genuinely confused for a minute scratching his head. “Oh! Uh, this a nationality thing? Should I have gone with Jimmy Olsen instead?”

“Aw come on.” Cindy whined as she flicked a small piece of bacon off her plate at him. “I didn’t tell you my super secret identity so you could compared to fucking Jimmy Olsen, either!”

She stuck out her tongue. “Nerd.”

“Hey, doll, you’re the one working at the daily planet, not me. Still got an opening for a gun girl if you’re looking to change it up. Pay’s good.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Cindy snickered “some days I *really* think about it.”

She balanced her glass back and forth with an appraising look. “What’s the requirements? Shooting shit? I’m a good shot–with my webs, at least.”

“Last one in the position was uuuh, a telepath medic who was real good with a bazooka, but thankfully I don’t really need the medic any more,” he grinned. “Just somebody to play backup to my big and loud self.” He winked, finishing his plate and pushing it aside.

“Telepath medic, hooof, hard act to follow Vic.” Cindy bobbed her head “I’m just a chick who’s real good at spitting goop out of her hands and getting my ass kicked, with a little mystical destiny to sweeten the deal.”

She snickered “I could be your personal tailor, I guess. You know I spun my whole suit from scratch?’

He gave her a curious look, eyebrows raised and a little bit of fang showing between his lips. “That a fancy way of saying you swing around naked?”

Cindy turned a deep red. “Woah! Hold the phone, NO!”

She waved her hands between them. “I mean, I *used to* a *little* when I just kinda spat webs onto myself to hide my face. But that was like, *years* ago. I’ve gotten better! I can weave it now. It’s like I got a full-ass boutique inside my fingertips. I can weave you a goddamn handkerchief right now if you wanted me to. Any color you like!”

“Wait wait wait,” he held up his big, clawed hands, “Wouldn’t it just stick to my hands if you made a handkerchief? I know that shit, one time Spider-Man ripped my whole damned face off with it. I had to go to the hospital! *Me!*”

“….”

“Holy shit, that’s pretty fucking hardcore for Pete. You sure that wasn’t Kaine?”

She shook her head vehemently for a moment. “Cool as that is, no offense, nope. I mean…I can make it real sticky. Face ripping sticky sure but..”

She held up her hand, and strands of webbing stuck between the space between her fingers as she spread them, forming an intricate web “Unlike Pete, I can vary that shit on the fly…sticky, non-stick, spidersilk strands to make my costume. Hell, I can even get creative without a *lab*. Which is good, ’cause….I ain’t exactly Captain Science.”

Sabretooth reached across the table and pressed the pad of his finger to her web. “Well damn, sounds like more fuckin’ useful for sure. Had no idea it was different stuff.”

It didn’t stick, but he felt it tangle slightly against his fingertip…soft and smooth as any of the silk he’d felt in his life.

“I got the full weird ass package.” Cindy snickered. “Better spider sense…natural webs. Trust me, it was *humiliating* when my hands started oozing gunk all over the place back in Middle School.”

She shook her hand, and the strands kind of separated off and fell to the table in a small dusting. “Sunno why Pete didn’t get the same. He had to make his own.”

“I been hearing lately these days some boys do,” Sabretooth drawled. “Don’t worry, I won’t think any less of him as a man.” he guffawed and slapped his other hand on the table.

“Can definitely see why they upgraded you to Queen though.”

“*VICTOR*” Cindy flicked her hand and splattered some webbing on his mouth.

It was only semi-sticky “*Geeze*. You can’t say that kinda thing.”  She snorted, before looking a little smug “It’s true. Though the job’s more than the sales pitch I was given. Didn’t think I’d be *this* busy.”

The cat man made an indigent noise and very gingerly tugged the webbing off his lips after testing the edge of it.

“Can’t say that kind of then,” he snorted. “This is like when Mystique hit me with the newspaper over what I called Forge…”

He shook his head. “They really keep ya hopping though, eh? Or uh, swinging I guess?”

“She…” Cindy laughed out loud. “Hit you with the newspaper? Like a big bastard cat??”

“You know, I haven’t gotten the pleasure but I’m liking her more and more. She sounds like a real…what’s the word…shit, saw it online.”

“….girlboss. yeah, that’s the one.”

She sipped her eggnog with a wink. “Yeah, they do. ‘the spiderverse this’ and ‘can you please do something about Peter Porker’ that and ‘does Spider-Woman Count? help us settle this in the Spider Break Lounge at the Spider-Dome, we’ve been fighting for ten time compressed years over it.’ . That kinda thing.”

Victor whistle and shook his head. “Damn, Queenie, sounds like they make ya work for your reign after all.” he stood and picked up the plates, dumping them in her sink and running water over them. “You and Mysty can have a girlboss-off.”

“And what do I get paid for it?” She said with a wry smile “you see why I’m tempted by the offer, Vic. Even if I would have to deal with you trying to call me every Asian character *except* a Korean.”

She snickered, before she walked over to thump him with her shoulder “you think I’d win that challenge?”

“I donno, but I’d definitely have to get it on camera.” He hip bumped her and gave her a wink. “Why don’t we go and open some presents and you can get me up to date with some Korean characters for my nickname backlog if ya want.”

He paused and suddenly slapped his fist on his palm. “The crime chick and her husband from LOST. right?”

“W…” Cindy blinked at him. “What the everloving fuck is LOST.”

“Oh right, you were stuck in that sealed parking garage or whatever.” He grabbed the sack from the corner of the room and hefted it over his shoulder like the buff santa he was dressed as– and beckoned her into her own living room.

“Bunker.” She followed him with an amused smile and a slight flush as she shook her head.

“I can’t even prove you right or wrong here.” She trotted quickly until she fell into step beside him “you really went all out. Where’d you even get the duds, handsome?”

“Bunker, right. Seen a few of those in my time. The duds? Paid a guy on the street a hundred bucks for em,” he grinned settling down on the couch.

“You and me both.” Cindy grinned as she plopped down on her couch, still in her pajamas.

“Man, you musta made his *day*, big guy.” She snickered “no wonder you barely fit in it. You look like one flex is gonna tear it to shreds. And wouldn’t *that* be a hell of a gift.”

He grinned and teasingly curled his arm as if he was about to try it. “Be a shame to mess it up before we’re done though.” He opened the sack, and inside, Cindy could see a bunch of wrapped boxes.

Cindy once more turned pink as she leaned on her arms. “…that’s a lotta boxes, Vic.”

“Yeah, and? You don’t think Merc work pays real good?” he pulled a box out and shoved it at her. It was inexpertly wrapped in paper with goofy looking snowmen.

She flushed, “I mean I think it pays great. I’m *still* tempted to take your battle-girlfriend job, or whatever.”

She took it with a curious half smile, “I’m just surprised someone got me anything at all.”

“Yeah? Well, surprise.” He wiggled his hands back and forth in a ‘tada’ gesture. “I’d say I’m pissed you didn’t expect somethin’ from your buddy spider-man at least but I guess all you hero types are broke as shit if your last name ain’t Stark.”

Cindy giggled, shaking her head “He usually comes by with something….but money’s not exactly thick on the ground for us. So it usually comes a lil’ late, when everything’s on discount.”

She slowly opened the packaging, careful of the wrapping.

“Yeah I geddit,” he nodded, leaning on his hand as she unwrapped it. “Little early for him to come by in any case. Hah, wouldn’t want him to see me here, eh?”

As she lifted the corner of the wrapping paper it was becoming obvious that it was probably something expensive.

Cindy’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as she noticed the *implied price*.

She tore the rest of it away as she laughed, eyes wide, “Yeah he’d probably lose his mind. Think you were trying to *kidnap* me or something.”

“Think he’d lose his shit worse when he realized I was making you breakfast?” Sabretooth grinned with what could only be satisfaction at the thought. “Not saying I *wouldn’t* kidnap you.”

The wrapping stripped away, the box turned out to be a brand new game console.

Cindy was halfway through laughing at that, “I think he’d think I’d gone *nuts*. Or maybe brainwashed. And…I mean, a *pretend kidnapping* would be fu—”

Her eyes widened as she stared down at it. “Uuuuuuuuuuoh wow. *geeze* Vic!”

He punched her in the shoulder. “Gotta play it with me, yeah?”

Cindy squeaked, eyes tearing up a little. “Last game console I had was…geeze. Maybe a nintendo?”

She rocked under his punch “of *course* I am. Shit, I mean part of me says I can’t possibly accept this. It must have cost like, shit. My whole rent.”

“Yeah well that’s cause your rent’s too damn expensive,” Sabretooth grumbled. “Don’t know how anybody affords to live around here any more. when Vindicator and me were shacking up down in hell’s kitchen the rent was like $200 a month or something.”

“no shit?” Cindy’s eyes widened “…man, if only, right? Prices keep going up and nobody pays a hero for shit. Not even for our likeness in the Bugle.”

She held the system up with a smile. “Still…this is…man. The guys at the paper were *talking* about this thing.”

“Got ya some games for it too,” he grinned, gesturing to the bag, and pulling out some more, smaller presents. “And a couple other things too.”

“You…” Cindy started tearing up as she took one of the smaller gifts “you didn’t have to do this, Vic.”

She ducked her head so her hair hid her tears and blush, “Geeze…b-but thanks.”

He put the palm of his big hand on top of her head. “Merry Christmas. I know you ain’t a kid or nothin’, but I know you ain’t exactly got any family neither. I feel that. Woulda liked somebody to drop by my place with a sack o’ goodies, ya know?”

“Yeah…there’s just my brother, and he’s…in and out nowadays.” She smiled up at him with a sniff. “thanks, you big furry bastard.” she reached up and put her hand atop his. “Maybe if I get the chance…I’ve been back and forth in time…I’ll do just that, alright? to make it up to you.”

She beamed, genuine and still a little teary “Happy Holidays to you too, Vic…this means a lot, I’m not ever gonna forget this.”

He punched her shoulder again, looking rather flustered and bashful– which was a weird look on the big villain. “Nothin’ to make up for. I’m just skimmin’ the top offa your Christmas cheer. Only other person I’d be spendin’ the day with is Mystique and she’s doin’ her own thing with the wife and kids this year.”

“Woah, shit, really?” Cindy tilted her head, “and she’s *married with children too*? Vic, I gotta start following your life like my daily soaps at this rate.”

She giggled, before brushing him with her foot and balancing one of the gifts on her leg. “You’re welcome here any time, Christmas or whenever. The landlord says we’re allowed one cat in the house, anyway. We’re cool.”

He laughed, and rubbed his face– definitely not wiping his eyes– and put an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m housebroken.”

As Cindy ripped through the rest of the gifts, she found a half dozen games for the system, an extra controller, a set of headphones, a large, extremely fancy rice cooker, a set of nice pans, warm, woolly socks, a goofy looking lion plushy with a stupid expression, and in a jewelry box, a bracelet with a red gem in a setting that looked like a spider.

She wound up with that lion plush right on her lap, and the woolly socks on her feet within seconds…and the jewelry box balanced in her hand as she once more looked stunned.

“Whoa.” she looked up at him with a smile, “W-where’d you find all this stuff…this is gorgeous, man. *really* gorgeous.”

Sabertooth waved his hand, “S’nothin,” he grumbled, rubbing his face. “Glad you like it, Jimmy olsen.”

Cindy gently wrapped it around her wrist, “Can you help me with it? Got somethin’ in my eye so I’m having trouble with the clasp…”

“Aw, uh, shit, yeah I can try,” he said, looking at his hands for a second. Then he nodded, and gingerly fumbled with the clasping. “Almost there…”

She waited until it was secure…enough that it wouldn’t fall off…

And then she used the proximity to grab him in a tight hug, pulling him into her chest with a grin “Vic…you’re a pretty nice guy under all that bluster. Rough around the edges but…” she squeezed him, “it just makes you fun.”

The big cat man flushed, and then rested his hand on her back. “You’re gonna ruin my reputation like that. Aw who am I kidding, already been ruining it myself lately.” He sniffled. “Mer crimis, kiddo.”

Cindy squeezed him tight. “Merry chrystler, ya big grumpy cat. I think the new rep’s suiting you well.” she murmured.

With a soft sniff, she squeezed him tighter for a moment. “Heh, you know…those games you bought aren’t gonna play themselves…and I’m *still* not caught up with the way they play now. I could use a little help.”

He thumped her gently on the back. “Well shit, let’s set this fucker up then. We can make some cocoa while it’s doing its thing. Curt told me it’d probably take like an hour to finish updating and shit. Super nintendo never had to do that.”

She let go enough to look him in the eyes with a grin, “You’re joking…an hour?? hot *damn*. Whatever happened to plug and play? ”

She chuckled “…hell. Gives us time for cocoa. So I ain’t gonna complain.”

“Me neither, doll,” he grinned. “we’ll just have to keep occupied for a bit. I donno, sing a Christmas carol or somethin. Jump up and down and wake your neighbors like we were five.”

He stood up off the couch and half picked her up as well.

Cindy squeaked.–but she certainly didn’t mind being picked up to her feet. She gripped his arm with a grin, “If we wake the neighbors, you’ve gotta be one to come up with an excuse or I’m just gonna say ‘loud sex, sorry Miss Winters.”

“You’ll have to say it faster than me then, that’s what I’d go with.” He laughed, and they headed into the other room together to start the rest of the morning.

There was cocoa. And video games. And even a couple of dumb Christmas carols. Not only was Sabretooth a terrible singer, but he kept substituting parody lines. At some point, the ham went into the oven, and they had another meal. Eventually though, he had to go, and she had to take care of things around the apartment, and getting to work on her next article. The news didn’t stop for Christmas.

When she eventually got around to checking the Daily Bugle, it turned out there was a headline she’d missed.

“Lizard and Kraven Strike Mall in 2AM Grinching! Spider-Man Suspected Accomplice!”

The photo was of the Lizard… and Sabretooth. Someone hadn’t fact checked their headline.

Lower down on the page was a smaller article. Apparently several local homeless shelters and food banks had received large, anonymous donations in the early hours of the morning, from a couple of odd figures, dressed as Santa Claus.

Cindy sat there for a long moment with her paper in hand, toast balanced in her mouth as her half drunk coffee steamed in the air near her laptop, half finished article open on the screen.

“….”

“……..”

“And some say his heart grew three sizes that day,” she muttered around her toast, “and Cindy Lou Who prayed to *the Web of Destiny* that the Bugle never found out Silk got stolen merch as a gift from ””Kraven the Hunter””, lest they roast her who hash.”