Under The Mistletoe
Operation Buddie, Tue, 7:29 AM
HenHen: calls over, sorry about plan b
Superman: it’s fine, we have to move on
Mayday: adding bobby
Mayday added CapGN
Superman: hi Bobby!
HareBare: hey stepops!
Chim118: don’t talk about the gc aloud
CapGN: Hello?
CapGN: Why is there a groupchat with the kids and Hen, Carla, Maddie and Chim?
Superman: for the operation
CapGN: right… operation “buddie”
HareBare: I don’t think he’s gonna get it on his own we should just tell him
HenHen: no give him a minute
CapGN: no please tell me
Superman: don’t this is very funny and we need a cheer up after the failure of plan b
HareBare: our leader has spoken
CapGN: leader?!?! Plan b?!?!!
CapGN: like the birth control??!! Is one of you pregnant?!?
Mayday: PFFFFFFFF
Mads911: NO
Carls: no one is pregnant and this is not how we would tell you
DenDen: can plan c be kidnapping? It’s the only other idea we have
CapGN: oh thank god
CapGN: WHAT?!!
Chim118: this is absolutely the highlight of my day
Mads911: no we are not going to kidnap them!
Superman: we wouldn’t
Superman: we’d get Taylor, Abby or Ms Flores to do it
Mads911: I stg
CapGN: what do Buck and Eddie’s exes have to do with this?
Superman: so if one of them gets kidnapped the other comes to rescue him
CapGN: I am so confused right now
DenDen: guys I really don’t think he’s gonna get it
Superman: I agree
Superman: we’re trying to get my dad and Buck to realize they're in love with each other
CapGN: …
CapGN: ohhhhh
CapGN: the closet, that was your doing?
HenHen: yup.
Superman: plans a and b failed so now we must brainstorm plan c
CapGN: I was suspicious that you guys found the key right as we got the call.
Chim118: guilty
CapGN: alright what was plan a?
Superman: you must agree to help us first
CapGN: I agree to help, good sir
Mads911: awesome, Howie and I planned a dinner with the boys but dropped out last minute
Mads911: nothing changed though
CapGN: oh that is too simple
CapGN: …or maybe too complicated
Chim118: Cap?
Mayday: is there an idea brewing there Stepops?
CapGN: there just might be
Superman: do tell.
CapGN: so christmas party on thursday
HenHen: uh huh you and Athena have been planning it since thanksgiving
HareBare: yeah it’s annoying!
CapGN: yes
CapGN: oi!
Mayday: oh btw Bobby can you please change the netflix password
CapGN: wait is this why Harry is watching so many rom coms
Mayday: yes make it stop
HareBare: why are you dismissing my interests?!?
HareBare: that’s so messed up
Mayday: well ur interests r weird
Superman: hey stay on task
Chim118: yeah, christmas party?
HareBare: oh yeah
Mayday: right sorry
CapGN: right
CapGN: the plan is simple
CapGN: mistletoe
CapGN: mistletoe everywhere
HenHen: ohhh that’s good
Superman: I like it
DenDen: sorry I fell back asleep
DenDen: but I love it
CapGN: okay but we’re definitely gonna have to recruit Athena because she’s gonna be very against covering our house in mistletoe
Superman: will she be up to it?
CapGN: oh yeah
Superman: alright!
CapGN added SargeGN
Mayday: hi Mom!
SargeGN: hi baby, what is this?
HenHen: hey thena!
Superman: we’ve already had a guessing game today, so we’ll be frank with you
DenDen: we’re not frank we’re operation buddie
HenHen: ha nice one Denny
Superman: pfff
Superman: anyway, welcome to operation buddie, you have been selected for your expertise as Buck’s mom
SargeGN: practically, yes
SargeGN: and the operation is?
CapGN: trying to get Buck and Eddie to date
SargeGN: ah I see
SargeGN: how can I help?
CapGN: we need to cover our house in mistletoe
SargeGN: what the hell?
Superman: not *cover*
Superman: just enough so Dad and Buck can’t avoid it
DenDen: and if that plan doesn’t work plan d is kidnapping right
HenHen: Diesel Howard Wilson stop suggesting that!
DenDen: fine…
HareBare: YOUR NAME IS DIESEL
Superman: WHAT
DenDen: …yes?
HareBare: HOW DOES DENNY COME FROM DIESEL
DenDen: idk my birth mom named me Diesel and my moms did not like it
Chim118: what happened to staying on topic?
Mads911: wait Denny’s name is Diesel?
HenHen: yes, we know it’s a weird name we didn’t pick it
HareBare: you’re birth moms weird Denny
DenDen: yup.
Grant-Nash-Hale Family, Tue, 6:39 PM
Mayday: okay I got so much mistletoe
CapGN: how much?
Mayday: like all they had left in the store
Mayday sent a photo
CapGN: hmm that should be enough
MichealGH: uh what are we talking about
HareBare: a scheme
DavidGH: what is it with you people and schemes
Mayday: typically we get into shenanigans not schemes
HareBare: also this is Chris’s scheme not ours
DavidGH: do I want to know?
MichealGH: I don’t think so
SargeGN: May, did you get tape and ties to put them up?
Mayday: sure did!
SareGN: wonderful!
Mayday: I’ll bring the stuff over on thursday, so that incase the boys show up they don’t get suspicious
CapGN: sounds good!
Operation Buddie, Tue, 6:40 PM
Mayday: mistletoe acquired
Superman: woooo
Chim118: excellent
Mads911: is that why you rushed out the door at work
Mayday: store closed at 6:30 I had to go
Superman: and now we wait for thursday
Operation Buddie, Thu, 8:22 AM
Superman: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE
Mayday: merry christmas eve!
DenDen: merry chrimuth
Carls: merry Christmas Eve!!!!
Mads911: merry Christmas eve!
SargeGN: merry Christmas Eve everyone
Chim118: plan c day!
HenHen: merry plan c day!
Mads911: okay guys heres a fun story
Superman: ?
Chim118: I wouldn’t describe it as fun more of annoying as hell
CapGN: please share
Mads911: so Buck’s been at our place for Hanukkah every night he can
Mads911: and I asked his Christmas plans and he said “spending it with those who matter”
Superman: he’s doing christmas with us
Mads911: and then coming over to our place for the final night, but yup
Superman: oh my god he’s can’t be this stupid
CapGN: he can
HenHen: he can
Chim118: he can
SargeGN: he can.
Superman: that was sarcasm.
Private Chat Between Buckaroo and EdsD, Thu, 12:38 PM
Buckaroo: the christmas party starts at four, I can pick you and Chris up at 3:45?
EdsD: yeah, that works
EdsD: I know we’re doing white elephant and secret santa, but we can open presents for each other tomorrow right?
Buckaroo: you're sure I’m not intruding?
EdsD: never, Buck, you could never intrude
Buckaroo: okay :)
As Bobby completes his host rounds, he meet his wife under some of the mistletoe by the kitchen. He pulls her into a soft kiss, only breaking apart at a gaging sound from Harry. Athena shakes her head playfully. Harry leans closer and says quietly, “the mistletoe isn't for you guys.” Athena chuckles and kisses the top of Harry’s head. He looks up and groans. “I’m leaving.”
Bobby laughs and Harry runs away to Denny and Christopher crowded by Christopher’s Switch. Athena adjusts the collar of Bobby’s shirt- a t-shirt that says “this is my Christmas sweater.” “You think this is gonna work?”
“Eh,” Bobby shrugs. “I don’t know.”
As if on cue, Buck appears next to them. “What’s with the mistletoe?” He asks, grabbing a piece of cheese off charcuterie board.
“Oh, you know…” Athena waves a hand. “Love is in the air and all that.”
“Yeah, sure,” Buck says, mouth full of cheese. Bobby notices his eyes shoot in the direction of Eddie, standing on the porch with Hen and Chimney, nursing a beer.
“Get a plate,” Bobby tells Buck as he reaches for another piece of cheese. Buck apologies and takes a one, which he piles with cheese and chips.
“Bye!” He says, heading out to the porch. He pauses under the porch door to give Karen, who is coming inside, a kiss on the cheek.
She laughs and makes her way over to the kitchen counter, refiling her and Hen’s plates with veggies and ranch. “Little heavy on the mistletoe this year,” she remarks conversationally.
Athena gives us a half hearted shrug and repeats, “love is in the air.” Bobby snickers lightly next to her.
“Am I missing something?” Karen asks, brows furrowed.
“No, nothing. Just an inside joke,” Bobby assures her.
“Okay,” she says, drawing the word out as she walks away.
Bobby moves to check on the turkey in the oven and Athena walks over to Micheal and David on the couch. After seeing it’s not done, he heads outside with his team.
“Hey, Bobby, we were just talking about cold Christmases,” Hen says. “You must've had your fair share in Minnesota.”
Bobby chuckles, “more than my fair share. Once when I was a kid we got stuck on the road on the way to my grandparents house.”
“Hershey's winters weren’t that bad, but there was one year where there was a blizzard on Christmas day,” Buck adds.
“Don’t get me wrong, Texas is hot. But it’s also cold in the winter. I was a hot chocolate master, making it for my sisters so much.” Eddie takes a swig of his beer.
“Please tell me you used milk and not water,” Buck pleads, completely serious.
“I’m not a monster, Buck.” Eddie rolls his eyes.
Eddie is not avoiding all the mistletoe in the house. He got ambushed with a cheek kiss from Athena when she greeted them at the door and gave Christopher a kiss on the head when they were both in the porch doorway.
There are mistletoes stuck randomly on the ceiling- which is high so someone really put work into that- including just above the oven and couch and right next to the snacks. When asked, Athena and Bobby will only respond with “love is in the air.”
As they sit down for dinner, Eddie does purposely swerve from the mistletoe, but that’s because the closest person is Harry and he’s not close with the kid. He also moves away from it every time he passes back a forth through the porch doorway, because he doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone else passing through. And he avoids the couch when they sit down for presents, only so Chris can sit next to Buck and get a head kiss.
He got May for Secret Santa and he got her a 911 dispatcher key chain. He receives a compression shirt that’s supposed to help with his shoulder from Hen. Chris gets a game from Bobby.
He totally doesn’t stay back a second as he leaves with Buck so they’re not in the doorway at the same time.
Operation Buddie, Thu, 10:34 PM
Superman: how did that fail.
CapGN: pretty sure your dad was avoiding the mistletoe
Superman: ugh yeah
Chim118: sorry everyone, we tried out best
Mayday: I spent so much money on mistletoe for nothing!
Mayday: do we have a plan d?
Mads911: no one say kidnapping
HareBare: that’s a no then
Carls: oh I’m sorry everyone
Mayday: on the plus side I got a cool key chain
Superman: I don’t understand, why don’t they realize?
CapGN: I think they know the love the other but I don’t think they know the other loves them
HenHen: why’d you make that so hard to read.
CapGN: how else was I supposed to put it
SargeGN: they both think their love is unrequited.
CapGN: okay yeah that’s simpler
Superman: maybe we should just give up guys
Chim118: whoa, hey, no
Mads911: no we keep trying
HareBare: we are not done
Mayday: yeah!
Carls: honey we can still help, your dad and Buck deserve to be happy
Superman: okay, okay, let’s see how Buckley-Diaz Christmas goes