Title: 6 Months
Rating: T
Summary: John brings Justin home for Christmas. Problem is, things go about how John expects them to. Part of the Justin Gabriel Is Not a Pussy 'verse.
Disclaimer: I don't own shit. Also, in no way am I implying at the Cena family's views are in any way the same as this, or that they really act like this. It's all made up.
Author's Note: Okay, so I know it's a little late, but honestly, I had a part that was kind of supposed to come between Seven Days and this that I'd started on sooner. But then Christmas was here! So I set to work on trying to actually get this out by Christmas. That didn't happen, but it's finished now, so here it is. =) Hope you enjoy.
John is pacing. Every couple laps, he'll stop and look down at the phone in his hand. Sometimes, he even gets the courage to unlock it and type the number in. So far, however, he hasn't gotten farther than that before he shakes his head and continues to pace again.
"What are you doing?"
The voice makes John jump, and he spins around. Justin leans in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. John sighs and throws himself onto his back on the bed, pulling an arm up over his eyes.
"Trying to call my mom." he mumbles.
He thinks Justin didn't hear him for a moment, but then he hears the younger cross the room and sit down next to him on the bed. When Justin's hand lands on his thigh, rubbing in slow circles, he begins to breathe easier. The high flyer has always had a way of just...calming him down. He moves his arm and meets Justin's eyes. The younger lends him a sympathetic smile.
"It's harder than I thought." John explains softly. He huffs out a sigh.
"Do you think she's not going to take it well?" Justin questions the older, and John can see the worry painted across his face. It makes him feel bad for the high flyer.
"It's not...I'm just not sure how to tell her." John says, sitting up and dragging Justin to lay across his lap.
"Either way, I'm here for you. Unless you don't want me in here for this, either. In which case, I'm on the couch in the living room." the South African says, grinning.
A smile breaks across John's face as well, and he dips his head down to kiss his lover.
"I love you." he whispers.
He smiles wider when Justin blushes a bit, grinning wider as well.
"Love you too." the younger returns.
John sits back up straight and takes a deep breath, letting it out with a slight noise. He unlocks his phone and dials the number he knows by heart, finally hitting talk and bringing the now-ringing phone to his ear. He closes his eyes, holds his breath.
"John! How are you?" His mom's voice calms him down once more. The Superstar's still nervous, but he has a little more faith that he can do this.
"I'm...fantastic, actually." He knows, however, if he doesn't do it quick, like pulling your first tooth, he's going to lose his nerve and it's just going to come out by accident at some really awkward, unfortunate time, and it'll just be really messy and not good. "Hey, mom? I actually wanted to talk to you about Christmas. Are you, like, sitting down? Without dad around?"
Justin shoots him a look of slight bewilderment, but his mother just sighs. He can hear her scoot a chair away from the kitchen table and settle into it.
"If you're not going to be able to make it, go ahead and tell me now so I can be prepared." she says. "I won't be too upset, since you did make Thanksgiving this year."
John smiles. For once, he's not bearing that kind of bad news. He says this to his mother, and looks down at Justin, running a hand casually through the younger's hair. Quick. Like a tooth. he thinks, and opens his mouth again.
"Uhm, I wanted to let you know I'm bringing someone with me this year." he says slowly, carefully.
"Oh, John, really?" his mom asks excitedly. "It's been a while! Tell me, who's the lucky girl?"
John braces himself. He reaches down and laces his fingers between Justin's, giving his lover's hand a steady squeeze.
"It's not a girl." he finally manages.
His mom goes quiet on the other end. John trembles slightly.
"John, are you serious right now?" she asks, her voice a bit more faint than it had been.
"Yea, mom. I am." he says, tears beginning to clog his voice.
He hears her take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Jesus Christ, John Felix. What am I going to do with you?" it's said tenderly, and John almost collapses with relief. "Is it someone you work with? Someone we know?"
"It, I, uh. Yea. Yes, he works with me. You guys haven't met him before, though." John trips over his words.
"Oh? Which one?" she asks, genuinely interested. John wipes at his eyes as he speaks.
"He-he wrestlers under Justin Gabriel. His real name's Paul Lloyd, Jr., though." John beams down proudly at his lover, his hand still moving through the younger's hair.
"He's a junior, too! How cute." his mom says, and he can hear the endearing smile in her voice. "Isn't he one of those Nexus kids, though?"
"Yea, but he's not like all that. He's pretty amazing." John watches Justin blush again and gives his hand another squeeze.
"Well, I can't wait to meet him." she says softly. "But John...when do you plan to tell your father?"
This was what he'd been dreading. "I, uh. I was actually thinking of, uhm...not. Telling him. Until we get there." he stammers.
His mom sighs. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"He can't hang up on me if I'm already there." John explains nervously.
"You have a point." she agrees. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"I do, too, mom." he mutters, meeting Justin's eyes again. The younger brings John's hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to it. John feels himself smile just slightly.
"I guess I'll go start planning for an extra person, then!" his mom says happily. He hears her push the chair in.
"Alright. I can wait to see you guys." John says just as happily. "Oh, and mom?"
"Yea, baby?"
John pauses a beat.
"Thank you. For taking it so well." John clarifies.
"Of course, sweetheart. John, you're my son, and I love you. I'm proud of you no matter what. You know that. I love you, and if you love him enough to bring him home, I'm sure I'll love him, too." his mom says tenderly.
John has to wipe his eyes again. This time, it doesn't clear them completely. He doesn't really mind. Justin sits up and leans against him, throwing an arm over his shoulders and pulling him close to press a kiss to his cheek. John smiles.
"I love you, too, mom. I'll see you guys soon, okay?" he says.
She agrees, and he hangs up, dropping back onto the bed on his back. He drops his phone and it bounces off the bed and onto the floor. He's not sure he has the energy left to pick it up. Justin climbs on top of him, straddling his hips, but there's no lust in it. The younger rests his hands on John's broad chest.
"That went surprisingly well." Justin smiles.
"That it did." John agrees, letting out a deep breath. It makes Justin tilt towards him the smallest bit. "Now, we just have to tell my dad."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Justin reassures his lover. "I'll be here no matter what, John."
John smiles and reaches up, resting a hand on Justin's cheek. He strokes the skin with his thumb a few times before using the hand to bring his lover down to kiss him softly. Justin leans in more, kissing John deeper. The Superstar's other hand moves to tangle in Justin's hair. He gives it a light tug, and smiles when Justin moans. He pulls on Justin's lower lip with his teeth before pulling back entirely, moving the younger to lay with his head on his chest. He's pretty sure his dad's not going to take it near as well as his mom. But right now, he's just going to focus on Justin. John knows he can take on anything as long as the younger is there.
XXXXX
John's nervous, and it's making Justin nervous. The older has been fidgeting the entire drive from the airport. Even if Justin hadn't been nervous when John had originally told him to ignore anything the elder Cena said, he sure as hell was now. He tries to push it to the back of his mind, but it's hard the way John's acting. Justin knows they must be getting close to the house, because John is shakier than ever, and he's reached across the console to grab the high flyer's hand and lace their fingers together.
The Superstar suddenly flicks on his blinker, making a right turn a little way up the road. Justin looks around, realizing that they've turned into a driveway. He takes a deep breath, thinks, This is it. As John puts the rental in park in front of a house, he squeezes Justin's hand. The younger turns and they lock gazes for a moment, Justin trying to reassure his lover as much as he can. Something slams in front of them and the high flyer looks up just in time to see John's brothers bounding out the door, seemingly racing each other to the SUV. John climbs out first and they all tackle him football-style to the ground. Justin's eyes widen and he rushes out of the car and around the back, stopping at the pile of them. He stares, puzzled, as John laughs and struggles his way out from under them.
Then, Dan's in front of him shaking his hand, and he feels himself relax the slightest bit. The eldest Cena brother had stopped by a few more times since he'd found out, and he and Justin had started to get along fairly well. John's other three brothers and a couple of their wives have gathered around the older, and they're all chattering excitedly. Someone clears their throat, breaking through the noises like a gunshot. Everyone goes quiet, and Justin moves up to stand next to John as his lover's expression falls. John's parents have come outside, and his dad is staring at John with an expression Justin can't read.
"Welcome home, Johnny." he says with a smile, hugging his son close. Justin can still feel how tense John is. "Who's this?"
John Cena, Sr. turns to Justin, and Justin almost shrinks under his gaze.
"Dad." John says, and his voice cracks. Justin tries to hide his shock, fear. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Justin. Justin, this is my dad, John Cena, Sr."
Cena, Sr. turns and stares Justin down hard before whirling back to stare at his son.
"Are you trying to tell me you're gay? That you're gay and you've brought a man home for Christmas dinner at your family house, John?" he asks, practically glaring outright at John.
John visibly shrinks. Justin wants to hug him, hold his hand, something, but he knows it would just make things worse.
"Yea, dad. I guess I am, if that's how you want to look at it." he says to his father. Everyone seems to be shocked that John's standing up like this.
"How do you look at it, then, son?" the elder Cena inquires.
John tilts his head up to look back at his father with a flash of pride in his eyes.
"I've found someone I really care about, someone who's going to be in my life for a long time, and I wanted him to meet my family and get to know them, hopefully like them since he'll be around them quite a bit." he responds confidently.
Cena, Sr. is quiet for a moment before he turns and meets his wife's eyes. "Did you know about this?"
"Yes, John, but-" she tries, but he cuts her off.
"And you let it happen? You let our son bring, bring him here?" he practically growls.
Justin colors and looks at his feet. He feels awful.
"John, you're being ridiculous." she says, hands on her hips.
"Don't talk about him like that, dad." the younger Cena tells his father, standing up a bit taller.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to be a part of this." Cena, Sr. snaps. He turns and storms back into the house.
Carol turns to Justin and places a hand on his shoulder, using her other to carefully tilt his head back up.
"Honey, I'm John's mother, and it's wonderful to meet you." she says, shaking his hand with a kind smile. "Don't worry about his dad. He just...he needs time to think it over."
"Yea. Right. That's what dad needs." John sighs out. "Looks like we were wrong about him being able to avoid the conversation."
John's mom purses her lips at him as he opens the back of the truck and grabs their bags. He ducks his head to kiss her cheek and she catches him in a hug.
"It'll be okay, baby." she says softly to him. Justin's pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear.
"Whatever you say, mom." John replies, turning and heading into the house. "Justin, you can come hang with me, or you can introduce yourself. Pretty sure no one else has any issues with you just yet."
"John." Carol says sadly.
He huffs out a sigh and walks inside. Justin moves to follow him, but Dan slaps a hand onto his shoulder.
"Let him pout for a bit." Dan says. "This one he needs to deal with on his own."
Justin looks at him skeptically. Dan leans in a little closer.
"Think about it. If you go in there now, he's going to know you're upset, and it's going to upset him more. No one out here dislikes you. Seriously, Justin, they all really want to get to know you. If you can ignore this crap and have a good time anyway, it's going to make him feel better faster. Right?" Dan reasons.
Justin sighs softly, but agrees. He hopes Dan knows what he's talking about.
XXXXX
They all move into the den, and Justin introduces himself to everyone, the family introducing themselves as well. Eventually, Carol wanders off to talk to John, Sr. and Steve and Matt pull out the Xbox and Call of Duty. By the time John wanders back into the den, Dan's pouting in the corner next to a smirking Sean.
"John, really? At Christmas? You had to do it at Christmas, you sonovabitch? I'm already broke. I hope you know I'm taking back your present to pay them." he grumbles.
John smiles a bit, things finally feeling normal again. All the girls but Matt's wife have wandered off. When his eyes land on Justin, he feels himself blush. The high flyer is cradling baby Shelby in his arms, grinning widely at her and talking softly. She seems to be listening intently. Her mother watches on in awe. She looks up at John as he approaches.
"He is so excellent with her. It's amazing." she says with a wide smile. "He's had her captivated for the last hour."
Justin turns at this and looks up at John, his smile getting impossibly brighter.
"Hey! You're up!" he says happily. He turns back to Shelby. "Alright, darling. You remember I told you when Uncle John got up you'd have to go back to your mom for a while? Well, he's up now. So I need you to be a really good girl and go hang out with your mom, maybe take a nap, and then we'll hang out some more later, okay?"
Shelby stares wide eyed at the South African as he speaks, grinning the whole time. When he hands her back to her mother, she's calm as can be, hugging onto her mother tightly. John smiles proudly. Shelby's mom takes her into the other room, and John flops down onto the couch, pulling Justin close to him. Justin tenses at first, but relaxes when he notices no one's really even paying attention to them.
"Are you alright?" the younger asks quietly.
"I will be." John answers. "You're still here."
"Of course I am." Justin says sternly. "I told you I would be."
"I know. Thank you." John says softly, dropping a soft kiss on his temple and lacing their fingers together. "I'm sorry about my dad. I thought it'd be something like that. There's a pretty good chance he's internally disowned me at this point."
"Come on now, John. You don't really think..." Dan trails off.
"Deny it, any of you. One of his boys brought a guy home for Christmas? Our dad? John Cena, Sr.? Guys, he yelled at mom over it." John elaborates.
None of the brothers say anything for a long moment. John finally speaks up.
"That's what I thought." he says, then sighs. "We're in for a long night."
III
John is proven right at dinner. The elder Cena glares and makes rude comments, when he talks at all, until he finally huffs out a loud sigh and grabs his plate, piling it high and taking it out into his room in the back. Everyone looks worriedly at John and Justin, but the South African just keeps eating, seemingly unfazed, so John tries to keep a straight face and continue as well. It only works for a few minutes, however, before he feels himself breaking down and excuses himself. He heads downstairs to the basement room he always uses when he stays with his parents because of his late night schedule. He paces back and forth a few times, panicked, breathing quickly. Finally, he stops and stares through watery eyes at the brick wall before him. He clenches his fists a few times before he raises one arm. He's mid-swing when he feels arms wrap around his waist and he's yanked backwards.
"John, don't." he hears quietly, right by his ear.
Upon hearing the younger's voice, John almost instantly calms down, going nearly limp in his arms. Justin walks them over to sit on the bed. John leans against him, trying to regulate his breathing once more.
"It's going to be okay. One way or another, John. It will be." Justin says, determination evident in his voice.
"How can you say that? My dad hates me." John sighs out. "I ruined Christmas."
"You did not, John. Everyone else is having a great time. Your dad ruined his own Christmas." Justin bites out.
"I just...I don't want him to hate me." John says once more. He's at a loss for words.
"I know, baby." Justin whispers, pressing a tender kiss to John's head. "If anything it's my fault."
"No, no Justin. I should have known better than to tell him at Christmas like this." John mutters, nuzzling Justin's shoulder.
"Either way, John. He's your dad. He shouldn't be mad at you like this. Especially not over someone you have feelings for." Justin says almost angrily.
"Can we please not talk about it anymore?" John finally pleads.
He looks up and meets Justin's eyes. The younger just sighs.
"Alright. We'll lay down for a little bit, alright?" he offers.
John nods and crawls up the bed, curling up with Justin. As he drifts off, he focuses in on the fact that Justin is still here, and will be for a long time. It's the only thing keeping his head up.
XXXXX
The next morning finds Justin sitting at the table with the Cena brothers and Carol, listening with a wide smile to stories from when John was younger. He doesn't think he's stopped grinning the whole time. John had been a part of the festivities for a little bit, but after his dad had come and gone, grabbing breakfast without so much as looking at his son, the Superstar had retreated back to his room. Justin had risen to follow, but Dan had pulled him back down, getting up and going to check on his brother instead. Then Carol had come out with the photo album and all bets had been off. He's been laughing ever since.
"So, so, he was just running around the hotel screaming?" Justin finally manages between bouts of chuckles.
Carol snorts out a laugh and leans in close to the South African. "Oh, say hotel again. Please." she giggles.
Justin almost blushes. She's been practically in hysterics over his accent since story time started. "...'otel?" he pronounces, accent thick just for her.
Carol nearly falls over as she leans back and lets out a big laugh. Suddenly, he sees where John gets it from. His mother is beautiful when she laughs. It reminds him of his own mother, and while it makes him ache for home, it makes him smile as well. She calms down and offers Justin a wide smile.
"You, you are just too much." she says, patting him on the shoulder. "I knew John had good taste."
Now Justin blushes for real, and it makes her smile all the more. Eventually, everyone wanders off to do their own thing. Dan still hasn't emerged from talking to John, so Justin busies himself looking at pictures from his lover's childhood. He's smiling down at the photo album when he hears the door across the kitchen that leads to the deck open and shut. He looks up to see John Cena, Sr., standing outside, completely alone. He almost goes back to the pictures when a different image pops into his head, one of his lover struggling not to cry himself to sleep the night before, hurting over the treatment from his father. His eyes narrow and he rises, striding over to the door with a purpose. He takes a deep breath, opens the door, and steps outside.
XXXXX
Dan comes upstairs finally, huffing out a sigh. Sean shoots him a worried look.
"There's no reasoning with him." he says, exhasperation clear in his voice.
"We all know how stubborn he is." Matt pipes up from across the room.
"Yea, but it's Christmas! And we're all here! If dad wants to play the Grinch, let him play the damn Grinch. It doesn't have to ruin our holiday." Dan reasons.
He wanders into the kitchen to grab a drink out of the fridge. As he turns to walk back into the living room, he stops in his tracks. His eyes grow wide, and he calls out to his brothers.
"Uh, guys? Why is Justin alone outside with dad?"
The other three bound into the room and crowd with Dan around the window looking out onto the deck, next to the door. Trying to be as discreet as possible, they peer out through the blinds.
"Oh, God. He's dead. Dad's gonna kill him." Matt says quietly.
"Maybe not. Justin's tough." Dan reminds him.
"But Dad might be tougher." Steve says with a mild laugh.
"I don't know. This might be just what Dad needs." Sean finally responds. The other just nod, continuing to watch.
XXXXX
John, Sr. doesn't turn around when Justin closes the door, so the younger steps up beside him, turning completely to face the older man.
"I think we need to talk." Justin says like he means business.
John's father still doesn't turn to face him, but he does respond. Justin'll take it.
"Oh you do, do you? And why is that, young man?" John, Sr. asks in a completely condescending tone.
Justin refuses to take the bait. Instead, he keeps his composure, trying to reason with the man.
"Because I care about your son a great deal. And I'd like to think you do, too." he says as simply as he can.
John, Sr. does turn at this, very slowly, almost staring down the high flyer. Justin schools his emotions.
"What do you know about our family?" the elder practically sneers.
"Not much yet. But I'd like to learn." Justin answers calmly. "I know a lot about John. And I know he wouldn't have brought me here if he didn't really and truly value your opinion."
John, Sr. scoffs and rolls his eyes, turning back to face away from the South African. "And that's why he picks Christmas to tell me that he's gay. To bring home a man."
"But that is why! Christmas is a time for family, and it's one of the only times he gets to really see the whole family like this. He wanted to tell everyone, because he loves you. Can't you see that?" the younger tries desperately. When John's father doesn't respond, he huffs out a sigh. "Look, I'm not asking you to like me. I really don't care about that, because at the end of the day, I'm gonna love him no matter what. But I know how much a boy's dad means to him, and I definitely know how much you mean to John, and...really, I'm just asking you to love him anyway. To talk to him, and spend time with him while he's here. For God's sake, it's Christmas."
Justin's not sure if it's the wind or his nerves that make him shiver in the silent stretch of minutes that follows. Eventually, John, Sr. turns to him, eyes narrowed. Despite Justin's height advantage, the older man seems to loom over him all of a sudden.
"Are you stupid, son?" he asks almost angrily.
The high flyer gulps. Now he's pretty sure it's the nerves making him tremble. Oh, shit. he thinks. Suddenly, John, Sr. seems to slump in defeat. He lets out a slow breath.
"Of course I love him. Jesus Christ, he's my son. I just don't know what to say to him. You forget, I haven't had to deal with anything like this before, kid. I just need some time to process it. I'm not happy, I'm not going to lie or sugar coat it. He's a strong boy. Hell, he's a strong man. But I could never hate him. He's my son." the elder finishes quietly.
Justin stares on in shock. The force of the man's words hit him fully, and tears fill his eyes. He thinks of his own father, and how proud he'd always been of Justin. He'd like to think his father would be proud of him right now, wrestling for the WWE, happily in a committed relationship. He has no way of knowing, and he grits his teeth, because John's dad is still here and can actually tell John how he feels. Instead, he's standing here wasting his breath telling Justin and being a complete asshole to John. Justin glares.
"Then tell him that. All you've done since we got here is shut him out. It's fucking killing him. He really thinks you hate him, and I think it's shitty that you'd ruin your son's Christmas with your whole family like this, especially over him sharing his feelings with you. If you really care about him, then you should start acting like it." he almost growls, clenching his fists and standing up a little straighter, a little taller.
John, Sr. wrinkles his brow, as if he can't believe Justin's standing up to him like this. He probably can't, Justin thinks. It's the older's turn to glare now, and Justin feels the intimidation of it once more. He's suddenly nervous again, because he's not sure if John's dad is a fighter or not. He'd like to think his lover's father wouldn't swing on him, but he can't be certain. He has no idea what the hell he's going to do if the older does hit him. The man leans into Justin's space.
"You've got some big balls, kid." he says, and it feels almost threatening. Justin holds his breath, stands his ground. He almost swings in defense on accident when John's father pats him twice on the shoulder with a straight face. "Maybe you're not so bad after all."
With that, he turns and walks back into the house, closing the door behind him. Justin's head is spinning. He tries to get a grasp on what's just happened. When he walks into the house a moment later, all of John's brothers descend upon him.
"Holy shit, man. You just took your life into your own hands. What was that?" Matt asks hurriedly, excited.
"What?" Justin wonders aloud, confusion evident in his voice.
"No one ever stands up to dad except mom." Sean explains.
Justin nods slowly. He'd gotten that feeling.
"What did you even say to him?" Steve questions the high flyer.
"You were talking to him about John, weren't you?" Dan asks with a knowing smirk. "He went down there to talk to him just a minute ago."
"Okay, okay. Yes, I was talking to him about John. No, I won't tell you what I said." Justin finally says. "That conversation was between me and your father, and John, if your dad chooses to share it with him."
The boys pout, but finally agree, and Justin relaxes. They all wander into the living room to continue watching TV as they had been before Dan had come back upstairs. When John and his father emerge from the basement a while later, they're both smiling and carrying on a conversation. Justin beams. John walks over and flops down on the couch next to the high flyer, draping an arm over his shoulders. John's father pauses for a moment, but sits down on his son's other side, resuming the conversation. Justin just leans into John and thinks, Mission Accomplished.
XXXXX
Dinner goes absolutely perfectly, and John finally begins to really enjoy himself for the first time since they pulled up to the house. Everyone had gotten along well, and had been able to have a normal conversation, full of laughter and actual holiday cheer. They'd gone ahead and traded gifts afterwards and traded stories about their year. John, Sr. made an effort to get along with Justin, and for once, everything felt right.
John wanders into the bedroom later that night to hear Justin talking animatedly in his native tongue on the phone. It makes John smile, and he slips in as quietly as he can and sits next to Justin, wrapping his arms around the younger and pulling him close. Justin turns to him with a smile and says something else into the phone before pulling it away from his ear.
"My mom wants to talk to you." the high flyer says softly.
John feels his eyes grow wide, but Justin's grin spreads further across his face, so he takes the phone and brings it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"John?" a woman with a thick accent asks.
"Yea, that's me. Hi, Mrs. Lloyd." he greets with a smile, despite the fact that she can't see it.
"Oh," Justin's mom says, and it sounds like she's been crying. "It's so wonderful to finally talk to you."
"It's nice to talk to you, as well, ma'am." John says, all manners.
"You...you have made my son so incredibly happy. You have been there for him when no one else was. You have stood by him no matter what everyone else thought, even your own parents. You really, really love Paul, and for that, I thank you." she says in watery, broken English.
As she speaks, John really looks over at his lover and notices the younger has been crying as well. He pulls Justin ever closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"No need to thank me. You're right, I really do love him, and I would do anything for him." John says, his eyes connecting with the high flyer's. Justin reaches out and hugs him tight.
"Oh, his father would have loved you. He would be so proud. Please continue to protect him, John. He really cares for you as well. I can't stand to see him hurting anymore." she says, beginning to cry again.
"I will. I promise." John says determinedly, his next words aimed more at his lover than anything else. "He's everything to me."
Justin blushes and duckes his head, pressing a kiss to John's chest. His mother bids John farewell and hangs up to go calm down. John looks down at his lover and smiles.
"You told her?" he questions softly, pressing the words into Justin's dark hair.
He feels the high flyer nod against him. "It was the least I could do."
"After what? Fixing things between me and my dad?" John responds with a laugh of relief.
"That wasn't just for you." Justin says in return, sitting back to look at John.
The Superstar meets his lover's gaze and suddenly, it clicks. He draws Justin in for a kiss and smiles when he feels the younger melt into it. He pulls back and grins widely, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box.
"Presents?" he asks with an excited expression.
"Presents." Justin nods, leaning down to reach into his bag. He pulls out a small box as well, neatly wrapped.
They'd refrained from exchanging gifts in front of the family, each one secretly relieved because of the sentimental value of their gift. Now, John reaches out to Justin with a shaky hand.
"Now, uhm. I know it's not, like...I know we can't really..." John tries as Justin pulls the paper off and opens the box.
He hears the younger's breath catch.
"John..." the high flyer just breathes.
Inside the tiny box sits a silver ring. It's got an intricate wing design woven across it, "Angel" written in script amongst the swirls. John watches as Justin lifts it from the box, reading the inscription on the inside.
JC PL 07-18-10
Justin's eyes widen and he looks hurriedly up at John. The older pulls his dogtags from under his shirt. A ring dangles from that chain as well. John leans forward to show it to his lover. It's silver as well, the words "Never Give Up" engraved on the outside. The inside inscription matches Justin's.
"John, what...?" Justin tries to question. He can't seem to find the words.
"Now, I, I understand that we can't exactly get married or anything. And it's a little early to talk about all that even if we could." John tries to joke, but it comes out nervous. "But...Baby, you mean the world to me, and I want a reminder of that, even if we're the only two that know what it means. You don't have to wear it all the time or anything. I just...I want you to have it."
Justin slides it onto his finger with a wide smile.
"Thank you, John. So much." he whispers. "I love you."
John smiles sheepishly, ducking his head down a bit. Justin coughs out a laugh.
"Way to make my gift seem lame." the South African says.
The Superstar grins wider, pulling the paper off his lover's gift. "No way."
It's John's turn to hold his breath. Justin had gotten him the watch he'd been looking at in the jewelry store when they'd gone with Ron to pick out a gift for Eve, a Rolex. Inside the band was a phrase engraved in latin script.
Una Semper
John shoots Justin a puzzled look. The younger's face flushes and he toys with his new ring nervously.
"It, uh. It means together forever. Or, really, being together forever no matter what." Justin mumbles.
John takes him by surprise when he scoops him up and pulls the younger into his lap, kissing him deeply. He can't believe he's so in love with Justin, and falling deeper every day. As he presses the high flyer into the mattress and makes him come undone as quietly as he can (they are still in his parent's house, after all), all he can think of is that he wants to have Justin in his life as long as he possibly can, and he really will do anything to make sure that happens.
III
As they prepare to leave the next day, John's dad pulls him to the side.
"I really am sorry, son." the older says quietly.
"I know, dad." John replies with a smile.
"You uh. You really should bring Justin around more often." John, Sr. mutters, and the younger's eyes light up. He swoops his father off the ground in a tight hug.
John's father struggles out of the hug and they walk over to join the rest of the family. When he sees the elder man grab Justin in a tight, friendly hug, John smiles. He wouldn't have had his Christmas go any other way.