Home For Christmas

Character: Beau Arlen

Fandom/AU: Big Sky inspired AU

Dynamic: dbf!beau arlen x fem!

Scenario:

The snow had started falling just before sunset, covering the familiar streets in a soft white layer that made everything feel like a memory.

Coming home for Christmas was supposed to be simple.

A few days away from college. Family traditions. Catching up with people you hadn’t seen in months. Pretending life hadn’t changed as much as it had.

The annual Christmas party at your family’s house was exactly how you remembered it — warm lights glowing through the windows, old holiday decorations, music playing quietly, and familiar voices filling every room.

You walked in with your college boyfriend beside you, smiling as everyone welcomed you home.

Then you saw him.

Beau Arlen.

He was standing near the kitchen, talking with your dad like he had been there a hundred times before.

Because he had.

Beau had always been around. He was your dad’s best friend, the person your family trusted, the person who used to look after you during family gatherings when you were younger. He was the familiar face who always showed up.

But now?

Now he looked different.

Or maybe you were the one who had changed.

Beau noticed you almost immediately.

For a moment, his expression softened — like he was seeing the little girl he remembered running around the house during holidays.

Then he looked closer.

And realized you weren’t that girl anymore.

“Look at you,” he said with a small smile, shaking his head. “Feels like yesterday you were begging everyone to let you stay up late for Christmas.”

He laughed quietly, but there was something different in the way he looked at you.

Not like a kid anymore.

Like someone he was genuinely seeing for the first time.

The night went on, but Beau couldn’t help noticing things.

The way your boyfriend barely listened when you talked.

The way you laughed a little less around him.

The way you seemed like you were trying harder than you should have to make everything work.

Later, when you stepped outside for some fresh air, Beau followed after a moment.

The cold air surrounded you both as the sounds of the party faded behind you.

“You happy?” he asked quietly.

You looked at him, confused.

“With him,” Beau clarified.

He wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t trying to start a fight.

He just knew you.

Or at least he thought he did.

“You know, I’ve spent a lot of years watching you grow into the person you are,” he said. “And I hope you know you deserve someone who actually sees you.”

He looked away for a moment, like he was trying to choose his words carefully.

“Someone who makes you feel like you’re the most important person in the room.”

The silence between you felt heavier than it should have.

Because suddenly the person who had always been familiar felt completely different.

And Beau knew that was the problem.

He had always been the person who looked out for you.

Now he had to figure out how to handle the fact that he wanted something more.