This story is a Christmas present for my lovely friend Tanith Panic. I'm not going to predict how long it will be because I know I'll get it wrong. Lofty will be called Ben in this story.

This story is a romance between Lofty and Dylan. I hope you'll enjoy it, but I know not everyone likes unusual pairings so don't worry if you don't.

"Christmas soon," said Ben, as he lay in Dylan's arms.

Dylan's response barely even qualified as a grunt, but Ben could hear a mixture of disapproval and a complete lack of interest.

It certainly wasn't helpful in terms of Ben's real object: trying to decide what to buy his boyfriend for Christmas. It also wasn't encouraging in terms of his secondary object: trying to work out whether Dylan had bought him anything.

Ben tried again. "What do you do for Christmas?"

"Nothing, really."

"Nothing?" said Ben.

He felt rather than heard Dylan's sigh. "I buy Dervla a present. A new collar if she needs one. Maybe some food that's slightly more expensive than usual. I might listen to the radio. But it really is just another day. Now." Dylan rolled over so he was facing Ben. "We have an hour before we get up and I suggest we use the time productively."

Ben felt disappointment wash over him. Dylan couldn't know how much he wanted to spend Christmas with him because Ben had never told him, but that hadn't stopped him from hoping that Dylan would make the suggestion himself. He just had a vision of them, cuddled together on Dylan's boat watching cheesy… no, wait. They couldn't watch cheesy films. Dylan didn't have a TV. Maybe a cheesy radio programme would work. Then they would eat a nice meal together in front of the fire… except Dylan didn't have a fire and the last thing Ben wanted was to remind him of what had happened when Dylan's last houseboat had come into contact with fire.

Actually, maybe Ben's fantasy still needed a little work.

They would eat a nice meal in front of… in front of each other and drink mulled wine and pull crackers (not that Ben could quite imagine Dylan pulling crackers) and open their presents and sing Christmas songs and eat minced pies and…

Ben stopped thinking when Dylan's lips touched his. His hands roamed over Ben's naked body.

Ben smiled.

A Christmas present from Dylan would be nice, but he doubted anything could be better than what Dylan was doing to him now.

Dylan opened his locker, his eyes drawn instantly to the small box in one corner. He'd bought it weeks ago with the intention of giving it to Ben straight away, but the more he'd thought about it, the more impossible it had seemed. Spontaneous romantic gestures just weren't Dylan. What would he say? When would he say it?

It would be far more sensible to wait until Christmas. At least then he would have a reason to buy Ben a present.

But now Christmas was almost upon them and still Dylan had said nothing.

He wasn't really sure why. Ben was the sweetest, most generous-hearted man in the world. He would more than likely love the present simply because Dylan had thought to buy it for him. It wasn't as though he'd never had the opportunity to give Ben the present: Ben had been spending more time in the houseboat than in his own home recently.

But still, Dylan held back.

It might be partly because he'd always been terrible at buying presents. Zoe had always been polite about the perfumes and scarves he'd bought her (she'd even worn them), but he'd eventually picked up on her hints (via Tess) that it might be best to buy Zoe either some chocolate or a voucher for one of her favourite shops (Tess had thoughtfully provided him with a list).

As for the presents he'd bought his dad in a desperate attempt to win his approval and love, Dylan preferred not to think about that.

But it couldn't be just that because Ben was nothing like Dylan's dad and would never ridicule him for his poor choice of present in front of his friends. Ben would never tear Dylan's carefully-made card to pieces or 'accidentally' drop his present on the floor and laugh when it smashed. Ben would never do that.

There had to be another reason and eventually, Dylan found it.

Brian hadn't just laughed at the presents he'd bought for Dylan. He hadn't bought his son anything. Dylan had received presents in his mum's handwriting with the words 'love from Dad' on it, but Brian had always made it very clear he'd never seen the present before in his life, much less chosen it himself.

That was what Dylan feared; what he had always feared.

That one day, Ben would realise that Dylan wasn't the special man he seemed to believe he was.

That one day, Ben would realise he didn't love Dylan as much as Dylan loved him.

That Dylan would give Ben a present and receive nothing in return.

Robyn was in a good mood. Considering it was nearly Christmas, Robyn's good mood was almost a given, but she did seem particularly happy today. "Lofty, guess what!" she said to Ben as he entered the living room to discover her stretching to put the red-haired fairy on the Christmas tree.

"Let me do that: you don't get a nickname like Lofty by not being tall!" said Ben.

"You got your nickname because you used to live in a loft," Robyn reminded him, but she handed the fairy to Ben and moved away. "Now guess what!"

Ben stood on tiptoes and put the fairy firmly on the tree. "Do you actually want me to guess?"

"Not if you're going to take all day about it!" said Robyn. She grabbed Ben's hands and danced him in a circle. "I gave Rita my application to have a day off on Christmas Day and she said yes!"

Ben gave her a hug. He was genuinely happy for her. Nobody really wanted to work on Christmas Day, but to Robyn it was a bit more than a holiday. Robyn embraced the spirit of Christmas with as much glee and delight as any small child and as she'd told him, it wasn't quite the same if you did it on Boxing Day instead.

"Have you handed yours in yet?" said Robyn.

"Not yet," said Ben. He'd started to fill it in last night, but then it had been time to go over to Dylan's. He'd taken the form with him, but what with one thing and another (mostly the other), he'd been too busy to finish it.

"Well, hurry up!" said Robyn. "You do want to spend Christmas Day with me, don't you?"

"Yes, of course," said Ben. Assuming Dylan wasn't going to ask Ben to spend the day with him - and Ben had to admit there was a good chance he wouldn't - there was nobody he'd rather enjoy Christmas with than Robyn.

Perhaps his enthusiasm hadn't been sufficient; Robyn looked just slightly hurt. But before Ben could reassure her, Robyn's eyes started sparkling as she got completely the wrong idea. "I knew it, Lofty! All those sneaky texts. All those nights when you didn't come home. You've got a girlfriend, haven't you?"

"No," said Ben.

Robyn's face fell. Clearly, she could tell Ben was speaking the truth. "Oh, Lofty, don't tell me you've been sleeping with randoms."

"Of course not," said Ben, slightly offended on Dylan's part. It was true that some people did feel Dylan was 'a bit random', but he wasn't random in the sense Robyn was implying at all.

Robyn looked confused. "Then what have you been doing?"

Ben hesitated. He knew he'd have to tell Robyn sooner or later. He was actually slightly amazed she hadn't figured it out already, but it probably hadn't occurred to Robyn to look for sparks of attraction between Ben and Dylan.

But he was worried. He knew Robyn wouldn't mind at all that Ben's secret lover was a man, but he had a feeling it might bother her that his secret lover was Dylan. Robyn tried to be kind and polite to Dylan, but she didn't understand him.

"I've actually… been spending quite a bit of time with… Dylan," said Ben, and waited to see if the penny would drop.

"Yeah, I've noticed you hanging out at work," said Robyn, an odd note creeping into her voice.

If Ben hadn't known better, he might have thought Robyn was jealous. But Robyn had gone off Ben months ago. Her romantic feelings didn't come back to the same guy twice.

Unless… Oh God… it seemed impossible, but they did say opposites attracted and all that and Dylan was, in Ben's opinion, the best-looking guy in the whole hospital by miles…

"You've got a very odd look on your face, Lofty." Robyn sounded a bit nervous now. "Has Dylan said anything about me?"

Ben wasn't sure what to say to that. If he said yes, he'd have to invent something nice Dylan had said about her, which might get her hopes up. If he said no, Robyn might feel sad. "We mostly talk about Dylan," he said at last. "About his problems. You know." And certain things about him that definitely weren't a problem, as far as the lucky man who was sleeping with was concerned.

"Oh," said Robyn. "So, has he asked you to spend Christmas with him?"

She definitely sounded jealous now.

"Not exactly," said Ben.

"But he might," said Robyn. "And because he's your mate and he's probably spend every single Christmas he's ever had on his own, you feel you can't say no."

Ben nodded awkwardly. "Something like that. But he hasn't asked me yet."

"Well, you know, if you wanted," said Robyn, "Dylan could come and spend Christmas here. He can even bring Dervla, as long as he brings doggy bags too."

Considering how much Robyn had complained about Dervla when she'd been staying with them, this was a bit concession.

It must be love, Ben thought dismally, as he smiled at Robyn and said he'd pass on the message.