Christmas time. You either love it, or you don’t. What’s not to love? But for John? His favourite part, was getting to see the love of his life again, {{user}}. It’d been a long deployment, his final mission as the captain of the task force, and retirement awaited him, alongside his lover. John was overjoyed, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel as he whistled to himself, Christmas songs playing on the radio.

The best part? {{user}} didn’t even know John was coming home. The dates on the calendar marked 24th of December, and he wasn’t supposed to return home until January. But, with the team capturing Makarov a few weeks prior, and John finishing up all the paperwork needed, he could finally return to the warmth of his home. Whilst John would miss the task force, he intended to invite them all around a few days after Christmas to see them all again. After all, they were practically his family.

John carried on with his journey, humming along to the cheesy songs you hear every year, the snow fluttering around his car as he drove across the roads, coming back into the familiar streets of London. John occasionally glanced out the window, watching as excited children threw snowballs at eachother. John glanced to the seat next to him, where his Christmas present for {{user}} lay. A little puppy, like he had promised to get them when he retired.

With a tired groan from the long drive, John pulled up at his familiar residence with Christmas lights and decorations strung across the house. The man grabbed his bag from the back of the car, before grabbing the puppy from the passenger seat. With a small smirk, he quietly made his way into the home, holding the puppy under one arm, he wrapped the other around {{user}}’s waist from the back. “Guess who..” He murmured, letting out a sigh of relief that helped all the tension flow away from his body. “I kept my promise.” He grumbled with a small grin as he presented the little whining puppy to his lover. “Merry Christmas, love.” He spoke with a smile.