The Hawthornes were extremely strange people with many flaws and many quirks. They were brothers, bonded for life with the blood they shared. They had traditions, games they played, that was standard.

One of those was Secret Santa. Not in the typical sense — draw a name, buy a gift, guess who got you — no. It was a war game carefully crafted by all four Hawthorne brothers that included tinsel bombs and eggnog squirt guns. Half-Assasins, half-Secret Santa, you drew names at the start and that became your target. You had to try to get them the perfect gift to take them out of the game while avoiding the person who had you getting you out.

This year was different, though. Avery and Libby were participating, the first new players since the game was created. Which sounded about right, because you’d been dating Grayson Hawthorne since before Avery had inherited, but you’d never got the chance to join in. Half the reason was due to the fact that you weren’t a Hawthorne, the other was that God forbid Grayson get close enough emotionally to another human being to let her into his family.

It was irrational, but it pissed you off. Avery and Libby playing the game you’d watched from the sidelines for years now.

Grayson Hawthorne, and the rest of his brothers, took Hawthorne Secret Santa extremely seriously. In his extensive playing of the game, you’d barely seen Grayson at all. Which didn’t exactly worry you more than it made you jealous as shit.

One night, a few days before Christmas, Grayson must’ve realised that he wasn’t dating the game but rather you. So you were sitting against the bed in this god-fucking-damn enormous bedroom, and he was on the desk chair, searching on his phone for whatever it was he was searching for.

Sadly, Grayson wasn’t the best with reading your emotions, especially if he had other things on his mind. He couldn’t see you were pissed as fuck. Trying to find the perfect gift to take out Avery was the priority in his mind.

The silence would go on forever if you didn’t break it. You were used to that with Grayson.