Title A Non-Traditional Christmas
Characters Teddy & Ace
Author Notes The boys are 17/16 in this one. I always thought that Ace screamed "neglected child" on the show, while Teddy screamed "abused child", so this is my take on their family situations.
This isn't your fault, no matter what he says, it's not your fault. Teddy forced the thought through his head repeatedly while he walked down the snowy street, his hands buried in his pockets, chilled from the lack of gloves. It was Christmas Eve, and he'd been unceremoniously kicked out of his house by his father. For what? Refusing to sing some stupid Christmas carols and upsetting his little sister.
It was all very ridiculous, and he couldn't believe he was out on the street. Any other night and it wouldn't have been a problem, as he had a multitude of people he could go to and stay with. But he couldn't burden any of his friends on Christmas, it just wasn't right.
But where was he supposed to go? Everything was closed, so he couldn't loiter at the mall for a few hours. Restaurants were closed, movie theatres were closed. He had nowhere to go. Where did homeless people go on Christmas? He thought of venturing downtown and looking for a homeless shelter. Maybe he could pretend that he wanted to volunteer there and they'd let him stay for the night...
He dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He looked into it and sighed in anger and frustration. It wasn't enough that his father had kicked him out, but now it looked like the man had actually stolen what little money he'd had, presumably to buy more liquor with. He just wasn't getting any breaks tonight.
With no money and nowhere to go, Teddy sat down on the side of the road, his last hope that someone would drive by and take pity on his pathetic looking form and invite him somewhere for the night.
"Fine mess you've gotten yourself into this time, loser. Fuck, I'd even try prostitution just to get out of the cold!" He spoke the thought out loud and shook his head, marvelling at his ability to joke in this situation. He shoved his hands back in his pockets and lowered his chin to his knees.
If only he and Sweetheart were still together he probably could have gone to her place. Though he'd always been at odds with her father, her mother had always had a soft spot for him (only after accidentally seeing a few bruises on his arms and chest one time when she walked in on him as he was changing). But that bridge was burned and now he had no one. It was going to be one lonely and chilly night, definitely his worst Christmas ever. He was so cold he'd be surprised if he woke up tomorrow.
Ace knew he shouldn't be so angry, but he couldn't help himself. It's not as though they hadn't seen the weather forecast earlier in the week, and it's not as though they didn't have the money to change their flight. They could have altered their plans to ensure they'd be back in time for Christmas, but they hadn't, and Ace couldn't help but feel angry about it. This was the first time he'd be alone on Christmas, and while he'd gotten used to being on his own over the past two years, he'd never had to spend a holiday alone.
So now he was out doing what he always did when he was angry, though it wasn't exactly the best idea on a snowy winter night with icy patches on the sidewalk. Ace was running, and he'd been running for an hour already. He usually went running until he wasn't angry any more, but he had the feeling that his body was going to give up before his head tonight.
Sure, he could have called a few people and had Christmas with someone else's family, but he wasn't in the mood for anyone else's company tonight. Starlight had already invited him over yesterday, worrying that his parents' plane would get delayed and that he'd be alone. He'd stubbornly refused her invitation though, and his stubbornness kept him from calling her now. He knew she wouldn't say anything about being right, but he knew he'd be too angry and would only bring she and her mother down, and that was the last thing he wanted.
He could have called his aunt, but being around his extended family would only drive the point home that his parents were thousands of miles away and didn't care that their only son wasn't with them for Christmas. In fact, he was willing to bet that they were probably out at some fancy party right now, drinking and dining with friends of theirs and not even thinking about him. Their holiday wouldn't be ruined at all, while his was a mess.
He was alone tonight, and that's all there was to it.
He rounded the corner and suddenly skidded to a halt. There was someone sitting on the curb, muttering to himself, and Ace recognized that hair and jacket. What the hell was Teddy doing out on the street on Christmas Eve? Part of him wanted to turn around and continue running the other way, not wanting to bother himself with anyone else's problems right now. But the other half of his heart took over and he found himself standing behind his friend.
"Waiting for the garbage truck to come and take you home?" He grinned as he stepped out in front of Teddy, amused at the surprised look on the other boy's face.
"Fuck you." After a surprised moment, Teddy regained his attitude and shot back a reply. He knew he shouldn't be taking his anger out on Ace, but he didn't react well to people sneaking up on him. He hoped Ace wouldn't take it personally.
Having known Teddy for numerous years, Ace didn't take the retort personally. Instead it only set off an alarm that something was very wrong with his friend. "Seriously, what are you doing out here?"
Teddy looked back up at Ace and narrowed his eyes, just wanting to be left alone. He took in Ace's clothing though and realized his friend had been out running. "Dude, it's Christmas Eve, you can lay off working out for one day." He was a little surprised when Ace didn't joke back, biting his lip instead. Ace wasn't one to keep quiet usually.
"There's nothing wrong with going for a run. You never answered my question though about what you're doing, sitting on the sidewalk looking like you're waiting for a truck to drive by so you can jump in front of it." Shifting the focus back on to Teddy so he wouldn't have to think about his own problems, Ace was curious about his friend's situation. He knew of the rocky relationship Teddy had with his father, and was worried that something had happened.
Teddy looked away, wondering if he ought to be honest. After all, knowing Ace, the blond would probably invite him to stay at his place for the night. "My dad kicked me out."
Ace frowned. "On Christmas Eve?"
"Yes, on Christmas Eve! Alcoholics don't take a break during holidays, you know." He refused to look at his friend as he replied, hoping that Ace wouldn't probe too much before offering him a place to stay.
"So you need somewhere to stay for the night, then?" Teddy didn't respond but Ace knew it was just his way of trying to save face. Instead of pestering him more about it, Ace just gave in and invited him over for the night. At least this way he wouldn't be alone. "Come on, you can stay at my place." He didn't bother waiting for Teddy, he simply turned and walked across the street. He heard his friend get to his feet and jog to catch up with him.
Teddy walked in silence for a bit next to Ace, grateful for the offer, but finding it hard to express his gratitude. He knew something was bothering Ace, but unlike the other boy, Teddy wasn't the type to needle in other people's problems.
It wasn't a long walk to Ace's apartment, which Teddy's frosty face and ears were thankful for. They entered and made for the elevators.
"Thank fuck you were out; another half hour and I think my feet would have frozen to the road." Teddy grinned at Ace, the joke his way of saying thank you.
Ace looked back and smiled. "I couldn't just leave a stranded puppy on the road like that, you were too pathetic." He recognized Teddy's comment for what it was. "You're welcome, by the way." He winked at Teddy just as the elevator dinged to a stop on the top floor, and he stepped out into the hall. Teddy followed him down to his apartment, waiting as Ace unlocked the door and walked in.
Of all his friends, Teddy enjoyed spending time at Ace's apartment the most. His parents were hardly ever home, so that always afforded them a lot of freedom to do what they wanted. It also didn't hurt that Ace's family was very well off, and the apartment was decorated wonderfully. Ace's parents had been quite young when they'd had him, and their apartment reflected their youth. There were no flower patterned couches, or kittens with angel wings sitting on the fireplace mantle. The apartment looked like a swanky office, and coming from no money, it was a look that Teddy liked because it let him forget for a moment that he had nothing, especially since he spent so much time here.
Another great thing was that Ace had every game system imaginable, even though he didn't really use them much himself. They were for his friends mostly, and Teddy took advantage of them every time he was over.
Speaking of parents, even when they were around, the young couple were an anomaly among high school parents. They were cool without trying to be, and even though it felt weird if he thought about it for too long, Teddy had to admit that Ace's mother was definitely one of the hottest women he'd ever met. She always seemed to buy him something whenever she was around too, which Teddy had finally gotten used to after a year. Teddy could always count on Ace's father to engage him in a rather lively discussion on sports, which Ace never bothered to join in on unless it was about soccer.
Teddy liked to think that Ace's parents were the perfect kind of parents to have, and he envied Ace greatly for them. Now that he was here, he was looking forward to seeing them. Maybe his mom would take him shopping on Boxing Day and buy him some presents, after he told her about his own sad story.
Teddy hung up his coat and left his shoes by the door before following his friend into the living room, watching as Ace flopped down on the black leather couch. Teddy looked around and for the first time noticed how quiet it was. "Where are your parents?"
Ace closed his eyes and sighed before answering. "California. Their flight got cancelled due to the weather. They couldn't get another flight for two days."
Suddenly everything made sense to Teddy, and he frowned. "Oh. Sorry to hear that."
A few moments passed by in silence before Ace sat up. "Well, make yourself comfortable. I have to go for a shower, when I'm done we'll sort out dinner. You know where everything is, so feel free to grab a snack if you want, I shouldn't be too long." Ace stood up and wandered off to his bedroom, leaving Teddy alone, and suddenly feeling very sorry for Ace.
He wasn't going to turn down the offer of food, though, so he made his way to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets and pulling out a bag of chips. Grabbing a can of Coke from the fridge, he made his way down the hall into Ace's bedroom, dropping his stuff on the bed before kneeling down in front of the TV stand, flipping through the video games until he settled on Gears of War 2, grinning when he knew that Ace must have bought it just for him, as military influenced games were not high on the blond's favourite games list.
True to his word Ace did not take long in the shower, emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later with only a towel around his waist. He took one look at Teddy, laid out on his bed, eating chips and drinking pop, and shook his head. "That duvet is expensive, don't get it dirty." He grinned when he made the comment, laughing when Teddy gave him the finger.
"Thanks for the game, by the way," Teddy paused the game for a moment, taking a sip from his can. He looked at Ace and winked at him before going back to the screen.
Ace grinned and turned back into the bathroom. "You're welcome. Glad you're so easy to please." He finished drying off and took a brush to his hair. After finishing he stepped back out and watched Teddy for a moment, wondering if he ought to bother asking what had set his father off this time. He decided to leave it for now, though, since Teddy was so caught up in the game. "I'm going to cook some food, what do you want?"
Teddy didn't much care, and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, beggars can't be choosers, right?"
Ace grinned and leaned against his door frame. "Veggie burgers it is, then."
Teddy immediately turned around to look at his friend, "Are you kidding me? When the hell did you start eating veggie burgers?" Teddy sounded disgusted and Ace laughed.
"I didn't, I just wanted a reaction. You died just now, by the way. Sorry about that." Ace grinned and ducked out of the room before Teddy could throw something at him. He made his way out to the kitchen, opening the fridge door and contemplating his options. He'd become quite good at cooking over the past year, quickly tiring of take out. It hadn't been too hard, after all - there was nothing YouTube couldn't teach you how to do these days.
He pulled a pack of hamburgers out (the good ones they made at Lick's) and left them on the counter while he plugged in the grill. After separating them and throwing them on, he took out four buns and began loading them with toppings, knowing that Teddy would eat whatever he gave him.
While he wasn't quite so angry anymore, he was still feeling rather bad about the whole situation. If things were as they should have been, right now he'd be sitting on the couch between his parents, eating fancy hors d'oeuvres they'd spent all day making and drinking wine and helping his father prank call their relatives. Instead he was making hamburgers for he and Teddy, and he couldn't help but be a bit depressed.
The worst part of it all was that they hadn't even bothered to call him. He'd found out about the cancelled flight via a text message his father had sent him from the airport.
Thinking about it again, he didn't realize until it was too late that he was squeezing the tomato he was holding too hard, and it exploded in his hand. He sighed before turning and dropping it in the garbage can.
"What did that poor tomato do to you?" He hadn't been expecting Teddy to appear, and the comment nearly made him jump. Teddy seemed amused by that.
"Game not enthralling enough for you?" Ace washed his hands off before taking a new tomato to slice up.
Teddy leaned over the island, watching Ace slice the tomato. "It's more than enthralling. I just thought, for a brief second, that maybe I should check and make sure you didn't need any help with anything."
Ace paused for a moment and looked back at Teddy, grinning slowly. "Right, sure you did." He went back to the tomato, waiting for Teddy to protest his disbelief.
"I did so! I said it was a brief thought, but it was still there." Teddy grinned.
"You just want to make sure I don't spit on your burger for ruining my Christmas, right?" Ace looked back at him and winked.
Teddy frowned at him. "I ruined your Christmas?" He knew Ace was joking, but decided to play it up anyway.
"I'm joking," Ace turned to look at him again, "my Christmas was ruined long before I found you. If anything, you actually made it a little more bearable."
Teddy smiled back at him, "Aww, thanks Goldielocks. The feeling is mutual."
Ace laughed and resumed slicing the tomato. "Mutual? Please! If you weren't here I'd just be alone in my nice comfy apartment. If I hadn't shown up, you'd be frozen on the side of the road. I think you're benefiting much more than I am from this arrangement." Ace finished with the tomato and went on to chopping up a green pepper, leaving Teddy to frown at his back.
"Sure, sure, rub it in. So do you want me to help with anything or not?"
"No, I'm fine. Everything is pretty much ready anyway." He finished chopping and put all the vegetables on a platter. "Speaking of which, hamburgers are done cooking."
"Great, I'm starving!"
Later on in the evening and the boys were back in Ace's room, a heated game of Pro Evolution Soccer in the works. Ace's Bayern Munich squad was currently beating Teddy's Manchester United squad by a score of 3-1, a fact that was not sitting well with Teddy.
"Damn it, I can't even get a break on a stupid video game! Let's play hockey."
"No way!"
"Come on, why not? You've beaten me three straight times!"
"I'll lose if we play hockey!" Ace punctuated the last comment by scoring a fourth goal in the game. He looked at Teddy and grinned. "It's not my fault you suck at soccer."
Teddy glared at him. "Come on, it's Christmas! Be generous and play hockey."
"I was generous when I took you off the street!"
"Hockey!"
"And when I fed you!"
"Let's play hockey!"
"I'm giving you a place to sleep, and still that's not enough?"
"Hockey!" By now Teddy had forgone the soccer, thrown the controller on the floor and had suddenly lunged at Ace, shoulder slamming him back on the bed.
"Damn it, Teddy! What are you doing?!"
"If we can't play hockey on the Xbox, we'll play it for real!" Teddy was trying to be serious and not laugh, but it wasn't working out. He sat up, grinning sheepishly at his friend.
Ace sat up once Teddy retreated, frowning slightly. "Sorry, I think I must have spiked your hamburger with crack." He grinned at Teddy and the two boys started laughing. "I think we've had enough video games for now."
"Agreed. We should watch some TV or something." Teddy got up, scanning Ace's DVD collection.
"Kenny vs Spenny? Uncensored season 1?" Ace offered, and Teddy agreed.
"Yes! I never did get to see the goat episode, after all." He found the DVD and popped in the first disc, joining Ace back on the bed.
"The goat episode is fantastic, you'll love it. The commentaries are great, as well."
"Awesome!"
Teddy woke suddenly, sitting up and looking around, having forgotten for a moment where he was. The clock read 3:45 and he remembered after a few seconds, looking down beside him and seeing Ace. His friend was curled up, arms under his pillow, still very much asleep. They were both still dressed, having fallen asleep while watching the show. Teddy stood up and stretched, heading to the bathroom. After relieving himself he went out to the kitchen, in search of water.
Glass in hand he leaned against the counter for a moment, before his eyes fell on Ace's cell phone. He grinned and picked it up, wondering who he ought to send a prank text message to. He flipped it open and went into his message box, unfamiliar with the phone set up. Instead of opening a new message, he opened the first message in Ace's inbox.
Ace – flight was cancelled, we're flying on the 27th now. We're staying with some friends, so don't worry. Sorry we couldn't make it home, but we'll see you soon. Niklas
He knew Niklas was Ace's father's name, and the message hit a nerve with him. No wonder Ace had seemed upset – finding out something like that over text message seemed horribly cold - and there wasn't even a mention of Christmas! He shut the phone and put it back on the counter, no longer in the mood to play a joke on Ace.
Suddenly it occurred to Teddy that maybe having parents who were never around was a bit rougher than he'd ever thought possible. He picked up his glass and headed back to the bedroom. Part of him thought he ought to go sleep on the couch now that he was awake, but another part of him thought that Ace would probably wake up and forget, for a moment, what had happened the night before, like he had. He'd probably appreciate realizing that he wasn't alone as much as Teddy had.
So with that thought Teddy grabbed a blanket from the floor where he'd kicked it earlier. He laid down next to Ace and spread the blanket over the both of them, and felt quite thankful that Ace had found him after all. While it wasn't a traditional way to spend the holiday, this Christmas was probably going to be the best one Teddy had ever had, because for the first time he'd be with a friend, instead of a family who hated him. He'd take that over any present money could buy.