Chapter Text
The snow was falling thick outside, but that was perfect for the celestial family inside. Ruin had been cured thanks to the information gathered by Sun and Moonrise in his dimension on their exile, the Blood Moon clone had vanished and the second Eclipse had escaped with the Star, but seemed to be leaving everyone alone for the most part.
So the families were going to have a nice Christmas together. Sun was kind of disappointed they wouldn’t be renting the little cabin he and Moonset had before, but maybe next year, since all the scientific minds were working to bring Moonset back, the two of them could have a little private celebration of just them. To reconnect mostly.
Moonrise had helped him and Earth set up the theater and daycare proper as a big party for the family, and everybody had arrived in sweaters that were in some way very silly and festive. But it was a very important holiday this year, because it would be Earth, Vermilion, and Jack’s first holiday with the family. Kacey was excited because it was also his first holiday in general, and especially with his boys.
The tree in the daycare had presents piled under it, food was available for those who partook, and Christmas movies were playing nonstop in the theater. Kacey’s family arrived and everybody piled together into the various areas of the room. Crimson and Scarlet were fused and Vermilion held their hand, carrying around his teddy bear, Apple Pie. It was cute, watching the twins going to each plate of food and letting Mili taste some before deciding if he wanted any.
Kacey and Pen stood back, watching, and Solar was the one who went up to them and started talking. He didn’t want them to feel left out, and Jack was busy playing chase with Lunar.
Moonrise and Earth sat with Sun in the theater, enjoying their hot chocolates and surprised when Solar Flare settled with them to ask small questions about the holiday and its purpose.
In the corner, hiding in the bathrooms, Ruin watched and felt…out of place. He knew he wasn’t invited after all he’d done, but he had been in the ball pit for who knows how long and just wanted to look at all the joy.
Jack knew he was here, as did Solar Flare, but both were content to just keep on alert and leave the outcast to his viewing. It was actually Pen who went to retrieve him.
“Ruin,” Pen crossed his arms and looked at the broken robot, “why are you skulking in here?”
“I-I just…well, Pen, I was…” Ruin tried to find the words, but fell short and ended up murmuring, “I don’t mean any harm. I just…wanted to look at it. I know nobody wants me there.” Not knowing what to do, he just put his head down and folded his hands over each other in front of him.
After a moment of looking him over, Pen sighed and offered a hand, “Mili wants you there. He’s asking about you. And I do, too.”
“what?” Surprised, Ruin blinked his functioning eye, “Young Vermilion? And you, Pen? To what do I owe the pleasure of that?”
“Vermilion is pretty forgiving. Knowing you only acted that way from being sick, as he put it, completely erases any bad feelings he had toward you. As for me,” Pen led him out of the bathroom when he took his hand, “I was in your shoes not too long ago, except I actually DID all the things that made people upset. So since you’re sort of absolved of fault, I think you should be there with us.”
“And it would make Mili happy,” Ruin adds with a small smile that looks odd with his half exposed endo.
“That. Mostly that.” Pen shrugs, “I’m not going to pretend he doesn’t have me wrapped around his finger. But he doesn’t know that and even if he did, wouldn’t take advantage. He’s too good for me or any of us, actually.”
“Hm, well,” the dry tone of Ruin’s voice was set off by his smile, “If you have to be a sucker for someone, that’s the best kind.”
“Right,” Pen brought Ruin to the party and called, “I got your friend for you, Vermilion.”
The little red blur rushed over from the food table and tackled Ruin, “YOU’RE HERE!”
“oof!” Ruin was bowled over but flattered, “Careful, Vermilion, dear, I’m quite fragile!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Vermilion got up on his hands and knees, but was smiling ear to metaphorical ear, “I just knew you’d be lonesome if you didn’t come, so I wanted you here. My guest, yes.”
“Thank you, Vermilion,” Ruin got to his feet as Mili did and chuckled, “I…I wasn’t brave enough to ask for myself, so your invitation is a boon. If it’s alright, I’ll stick by you and Pen tonight to make sure I don’t make the others uncomfy, hm?”
“yes, good. Father will be fine with you as well, because we talked about it, but I’d be happy just being your shadow if you want,” The joy in his face was priceless and Ruin felt very touched by it.
“Then so it shall be. Come, show me everything you want to and I’ll listen,” Ruin let Vermilion take him by the hand and lead him around the daycare happily.
Solar came up to Pen and asked, “So, you sure about this?”
“I’ve scanned him myself, he’s clean of the virus and doesn’t show up as lying magically. Mili’s been worried about him since hearing about the virus and wants to include him.”
Nodding, the other eclipse watched Vermilion laughing as Ruin did a dramatic show of introducing himself to the giant Freddy plush in the back of the daycare, “Well, Vermilion’s a sweetheart. Even if Ruin IS just faking being cured, he’ll either slip up or lose his will to do harm around him. Worked pretty well for you.”
Pen saw the smirk on Solar’s face and gently pushed it away with one hand, “Oh shut up.”
-
Crimson and Scarlet didn’t like Ruin near Vermilion, but Mili was so happy and Pen was around, too, so they relented that it was alright. Besides, Father was happy about it, too, so that meant it must be okay, and Flare hadn’t moved from his spot in the theater either.
Jack had talked to Ruin and Mili for a while, and Lunar had stayed either with Earth, Sun and Moon, or them, but had talked with Vermilion some, too.
“Lunar,” Crimson asked one time when their first little brother was close to them at the food table, “are you okay with Ruin?”
“Him? Nah, but he did get cured so I guess he’s okay in general. Just not with me?” Lunar quirked a brow at Blood Moon. “Why?”
“Because Vermilion is being very insistent we include him and we were unsure,” Scarlet answered.
“oh.” Looking over, Lunar noticed and shrugged, “Well, we got a lot of security with Jack and Solar Flare and you guys so I dunno if I’m worried about it.”
“True,” The twins looked at the situation that way and shrugged, “Just don’t want his feelings hurt unnecessarily.”
Lunar snorted, “None of us do, but if Ruin even sneezes on Vermilion, we’d all dismantle him for it.”
That got the twins giggling and Lunar felt accomplished.
-
Kacey sits with Moonrise as everybody starts opening their presents.
Kacey only has a few, just from his boys and Moonrise since the others don’t know him well enough yet, so he’d already opened them. A collection of interesting bones from Blood Moon, a new cooking pot from Pen, and a ‘world’s best dad’ mug from Vermilion, along with a star made out of sticks by Solar Flare. Moonrise had gifted him a meditation book, which he very much appreciated as it helped him center himself and tap into his own magic.
Moonrise had gifts from all his family as well as Kacey and Vermilion, and it was the same for most of those there. What was different was Vermilion sitting in a pile of gifts and looking lost.
Looking over, Pen said to Vermilion, “Mili, you can open them in any order you want.”
Ruin was sitting with Vermilion, with only one gift, and he suggested, “Since Pen said something, why don’t you open his gift first and I’ll open mine from you, yes?”
“O-okay,” Vermilion leaned on Ruin and did as he suggested, opening his gift and smiling happily, “Oh! A chicken from Stardew Valley!” It was a plush, and he hugged it tight.
Ruin opened his gift from Mili and smiled softly. It was handmade, just a little roughly sewn thing, but it was a yellow bear with blue feet, arms and ears. Lopsided and button-eyed (one red one white) it was clear what it was, and he loved it. “Oh, Vermilion…I adore him. We’ll have to think of a name for him together.”
“Okay!” Mili chirped happily.
Moonrise chuckled softly as Mili started opening more gifts, “Your son’s defanged the horror.”
“Vermilion does tend to have that effect, yes.” Kacey sees Vermilion squeal as Lunar explains he got him a penguin to be friends with his reindeer, Spigot. “He’s seen Pen’s struggles to redeem himself, and feels it’s unfair for Ruin to struggle the same since his ill deeds were done essentially by an intruder in his body.”
Nodding, Moonrise sighed, “I just hope for all our sakes that’s what happened. But at least Ruin’s harmless at the moment.”
The sound of crying breaks the thoughts as Vermilion is hugging the twins, who are giggling and hugging back.
“What happened?” Moonrise asks Sun, who’s on the other side of him.
“The twins said they’re taking Mili to the Slime Rancher universe and gave him a Tangle slime plush,” Sun was smiling indulgently.
“He has been wanting to go,” Kacey said with a laugh in his voice, “but too afraid to ask Pen to take him. The twins decided to pester him in Mili’s stead and asked me to order the plush.”
“Just be careful of the Tarrs, okay?” Earth said to Vermilion, who nodded while sobbing in joy.