Flash Fiction

This bit of flash fiction features characters from "The Perfect Housemate" and "A Perfect Target" by Winnie Jerome

The challenge was to take the words cookie, wrapping paper, and tinsel and incorporate them into a story of approximately 100-150 words. I put in a minor edit, but this is otherwise how it originally appeared.

---
You'd think that Christmas would make Adrian cranky, but one of the advantages of only being part-incubus was that this holiday didn't bother him in the least bit.

What did bother him was the damn tree that Trent had bought. The thing refused to stay upright, no matter how much he wrestled with it. He tried everything he could think of - pleading, bad language, threats of sending it to burn in Plant Hell for eternity - but it kept defiantly listing to the side.

"Fuck this!" he growled out. He whacked the trunk with his hand, which caused the wood to shatter as if it had been made of glass.

Now he was in trouble. Trent was due back soon from Christmas shopping with Carl, and he'd definitely be pissed when he saw what happened to the tree. Adrian squatted on the floor -- he needed to think fast.

***

"Do you think Adrian has the tree up?" Carl asked Trent before he devoured the last of the ginormous chocolate chip cookie in his hand. "I still think you should have asked me to do it."

"Are you high, dude? You'd break the thing." Trent opened the door to his apartment and almost dropped his bags.

Adrian had unpacked the short pole that a student had bought him as a joke gift. He had coiled wrapping paper decorated with tiny trees around the metal length. Pine branches had been glued to the pole, and a plethora of tinsel and ornaments were draped over the greenery.

And hovering near the top was Adrian, dressed in nothing but gold glitter, a fake halo, and a smile.

He purred out, "Who wants to be the first one to mount the Christmas angel?"