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I’m sorry, Sameen…
Shaw glares at the text, like she can will it to change into something less shitty.
"Anything?" Reese asks over the sound of jangly Christmas pop — Finch’s selection — as he walks by with arms full of take-out from her favorite diner.
As if even delicious pancakes could soothe her anger. Shaw rolls her eyes, then looks over at Ris shaking one of her presents. “They closed all the roads last night,” she mutters and shoves the phone back in her pocket. “Why she couldn’t wait to do this until after the holiday…’
Finch hobbles around a corner. “I’m certain that whatever task the Machine has sent Miss Groves on,” he says and hands her a stack of plates topped with a pile of silverware, “is important if it pulled her away for Christmas.”
A growl bubbles up Shaw’s throat as her chest tightens, but she knows it’s no use rehashing the same argument she’d already had with Root the other day. Apparently beating Samaritan and having no other major threats on the immediate horizon doesn’t also mean a break from super-special missions. The numbers they get from time to time are different, of course. Those don’t usually require they leave the damn city.
"Where’s Fusco, anyway?" she asks as she sets the plates aside and slides over to join Ris. "I don’t think she’s gonna wait much longer."
Ris turns her big, brown eyes upward and tries to hand Shaw a scrap of wrapping paper that she’s somehow already torn off one of her presents.
"He said he has to take Lee over to his mom’s first," Reese says over the crinkle of plastic as he pulls out their breakfast.
"While we’re waiting…" Finch pulls a pair of phones from his briefcase, and hands one to Reese and the other to Shaw. "Upgraded to the latest and still connected to our mesh network."
Shaw just shrugs and tucks it into her other pocket. Figures Finch would go for the most boring and practical gift.
A few minutes pass, with Reese forking pancakes onto plates while Shaw sneaks a sausage from one container for Ris to gnaw on, until Fusco finally walks in with an armload of gifts. “It’s a mess out there!” He looks around. “Where’s, uh…?”
Shaw shoots a glare up at him, even though it’s not _his_ fault that Root’s off doing whatever. It’d be easier if it was. Then she could just punch him. Kinda hard to punch an AI, though she’s wanted to so many times.
Reese steps into her line of sight, facing away from her. “She—”
"—is right here," interrupts a voice from behind Fusco, causing him to yelp and drop all the presents.
"Jesus!" he yells. "Good thing nothin’ in there was breakable!"
Reese moves to help pick up the boxes, and Root steps around them and into the subway fully. “So jumpy, Lionel,” she smirks, then fixes her gaze on Shaw.
"Miss Groves!" Finch says with as much of a grin as he can usually muster. "We thought you’d be gone until tomorrow."
Root’s smirk fades to a matching smile. “I asked Her for help.” Her eyes stay locked on Shaw, with a quick glance at Ris. “Couldn’t miss today, after all.”
Finch looks between them, then steps away with a mumble about helping Reese and Finch.
Shaw pushes to her feet and takes a step forward. “No, seriously, how?” she asks, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. “No way you caught a cab.”
"I might have stolen a bike," Root replies with a renewed smirk. "C’mon, Sameen! At least be a little happy to see me!"
Shaw rolls her eyes. “I…shut up,” she mumbles. “Whatever, it’s present time.” She crouches down next to Ris, who claps wildly when the boys deposit all of Fusco’s gifts next to the already sizeable pile under the tree.
The morning continues in a flurry of wrapping paper and squeals — from Ris, primarily, though Shaw is definitely pleased at all the whiskey Reese bought her. Ris seems unusually happy when she unwraps Fusco’s gift to her and it turns out to be a pup tent. “Really, Fusco?” Shaw says, but she should have probably saved that incredulity for the ‘R’ and ‘S’ monogrammed hand towels that he gives her and Root…
…who cuts off her burgeoning complaint with a cheery, “We’ll put them to good use.” She waits until Fusco looks away, equal parts confused and pleased, then she elbows Shaw in the side. “You can’t get just liquor for Christmas, after all.”
Shaw glares at her for a hot second, then softens slightly. “Didn’t see anything from you,” she says while watching Ris struggle to pry open the tent’s box and definitely not at all looking at Root anymore.
She feels Root lean into her side and whisper directly into her ear, “It’s waiting for you at my apartment, of course, but for now…”
"Wha—" Shaw starts to say as she leans back and looks up, only to find Root dangling a sprig of mistletoe over them. "Seriously?" she asks while trying to fight off a smile. A quick glance over reveals that the boys, and Ris, are now thoroughly invested in setting up the tent despite Finch’s protests about maybe not doing this right in the middle of the subway. "Raincheck?" she says, smile becoming a smirk. "Bet I can get Reese to take her for the night."
Root grins at her. “Deal.”
They watch the chaos in comfortable silence for a few minutes, and at one point Shaw has to nearly tackle Ris to stop her from running away with a tentpole while Finch yells after her, “Parisa, no!”
Shaw catches Root taking a step forward to join in the festivities, and reaches out to snag her by the belt loop. Root looks back in askance, and Shaw diverts her own gaze to the floor. “Glad you made it back,” she mumbles, then releases her grip. “For her sake.”
She looks back up in time to see Root’s expression practically melt and her head tilt to one side. “Wouldn’t have missed it, Sameen.”