A/N: I worked real hard on this, so I very much hope that my Secret Santa recipient will enjoy also. There are a few details that aren't explained within the story itself, but there are a few notes down at the bottom. If anyone has any questions, feel free to comment and I'll reply as soon as I can. Anyway, read on!
Keith was used to spending Christmas alone.
He might've invited some of his friends over if they didn't all have plans with their families. In fact, the entire town seemed to be gone. It wasn't too much of a surprise (it was mainly a college town after all, so everyone was out of town for the holidays), but it did feel a little unsettling. Normally, the town was quite noisy and parties were common place, so sleeping without distant pop music in the background was something of a pleasant recent development.
He had lived alone for the greater majority of his life, so it really wasn't a big deal at this point. All he needed was a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and a nice special on the TV to feel fulfilled. Sometimes he'd even buy himself a present. It wasn't like he had to spend money on anyone else, so he usually treated himself to an expensive game or pair of shoes.
So far, this year was no different. He was already wrapped up, mug in his hands. Snow had just begun to fall once more, and he couldn't help but stare at it for a while. He wasn't very fond of it due to all the inconvenience it caused, but he couldn't deny that it was pretty to look at.
Just then, a dark blur caught his eye as it fell from above. It wasn't until he heard a loud thud and a groan that he realized that it had been a person.
Throwing on a pair of boots and a jacket, Keith rushed out of his apartment, heading straight for the guy who had apparently fallen from the roof. When he got there, the guy was already trying to get back on his feet, though it didn't seem like he was getting anywhere anytime soon.
"Need a hand?" Keith offered, stretching out his arm for the guy to take a hold of.
The guy looked up, shivering profusely. "That would be much appreciated." Shakily, he was able to stand with Keith's help, teeth chattering.
"Are you okay?" Keith asked, concerned. This guy looked like he was wearing five layers, if not more, and yet it seemed like he had never experienced the cold before. The only thing he could make out was a tuft of short dark hair and a pair of blue eyes. Even so, those layers were clearly the reason he wasn't as hurt as he could've been.
"Could be better, I suppose," he replied, stuffing his hands quickly into his pockets and stuffing his chin under his scarf. "Falling off the roof isn't exactly my ideal way of spending my Christmas Eve."
Keith looked up at the roof. The only thing there were some half-hung Christmas lights, only slightly visible through the snow, which was falling faster than before. "You're putting lights up now?"
The guy sighed, his breath visible in the chilly air. "It was kind of a last minute thing, really. Just slipped on some ice up there."
"Seems like a lot of trouble for some Christmas lights," Keith commented.
The guy chuckled slightly and gave a half-hearted smile. "Well, it's my first Christmas alone so I wanted to be a little more spirited."
"How come?" Keith couldn't help but be curious.
"Flight got cancelled," the guy explained. "I was gonna go back to Florida, but all the other flights were booked so I'm staying here for the time being."
"Oh…" Keith didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject. "So you're the one who lives upstairs? I don't recall ever actually seeing you."
"Oh yeah," the guy realized. "Guess we haven't ever formally introduced ourselves." He then extended his arm once more. "The name's Lance."
"Keith." Keith shook it.
Lance stood there for a while before shaking off some of the snow that had piled on to him. "So, you got any plans for tonight?"
"Nah, I'm usually alone on Christmas."
"Seriously?!" Lance exclaimed, his shivering stopping temporarily. "You're kidding."
"Not since I was 14," Keith said, instantly regretting his answer.
"That's no good!" Lance shook his head in disbelief. "No, no, no. This is UNACCEPTABLE!"
"It's really not a big deal…" Keith tried to calm Lance down, but was unsuccessful.
Lance suddenly lit up, eyes practically sparkling. "I just came up with the best idea!"
Keith was taken aback by Lance's sudden outburst. Just a minute ago he looked like he would fall victim to hypothermia, and now he was bouncing all over the place. Hesitantly he prodded, "Yeah?"
"How about we spend Christmas together? Just us two?" Lance excitedly suggested.
"I don't know… I mean, I just met you like three minutes ago."
"C'mon it'll be fun!" Lance insisted. "I can bring some food down, we can give each other last minute gifts, and we'll have a swell time!"
Keith was still unsure about the whole ordeal, but Lance looked so happy at the prospect that he couldn't possibly let him down. "I suppose it couldn't hurt…"
Lance took hold of Keith's shoulders, looking at him directly. "Oh thank you, thank you! I promise this'll be great!" Letting go, Lance rushed up the stairs to his own apartment and Keith was left to reflect on what had just happened.
I just hope I made the right choice…
Keith hadn't even settled back into his chair before he heard a knock on his door. Begrudgingly, he stood up to answer, but Lance seemed to have only knocked out of courtesy because he let himself in before Keith could get very far, kicking the door shut behind him.
"Oh, sorry. Guess that's a bad habit of mine," Lance apologized, noticing Keith's subtle glare.
Keith didn't respond and instead stared at all Lance was carrying. Hanging from his arms were a series of plastic bags, each carrying what Keith assumed to be different decorations and snacks. But what most caught his attentions was the huge platter Lance was balancing in one hand.
"Is that a pig?!" Keith's voice cracked as he gazed upon the huge roasted body of a pig laying on the platter.
Lance nodded, unaware of the concern in Keith's voice. "Yeah, took me forever to find one in these parts! I had to request it directly from some butcher because apparently no one sells 'em like this around here."
Moving forward, meaning to place the platter on the kitchen table just beyond Keith, Lance was abruptly stopped by Keith's yelp. "Don't bring that thing any closer!"
Lance cluelessly raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused. Suddenly he gasped, "Oh, are you allergic? Jewish? Oh wait, in that case this would be a Hanukah celebration..."
"No, no, that's not it!" Keith raised his arms, shaking his hands frantically. "It's just… creepy."
"Awww I was hoping you wouldn't be so squeamish," Lance sighed dramatically. "And I worked so hard to fry it on the stove last night too~"
Keith felt a tinge of guilt, but enough to go back on what he'd said. "Well, there's no way I could feel comfortable with that in my home."
"Oh well, it can't be helped. I am the guest, after all. Guess the pig's a Cuban* thing." Lance dropped his bags on the floor and opened the door once more. "I'll be back once I hack the head and limbs off. That good enough for you?"
Keith nodded, somewhat relieved that the pig's eyeless face would soon be out of sight.
"Alright, brb," Lance left, leaving Keith momentarily.
Keith only hoped that he didn't come back with something even worse.
The pair moved over to the small kitchen once Lance came back. Lance cut up the ham at the table while Keith brought over a couple plates and utensils. When everything was set, they both sat down opposite each other and started dividing up the food.
"So what do you usually eat for Christmas?" Lance asked, placing a slice of ham on Keith's plate.
"Whatever's in the fridge, normally," Keith replied, taking a bite of the ham and being pleasantly surprised. "There's really no point in making myself a feast. Which, by the way, you must have had the intention of doing if you already had all of this ready."
Lance rolled his eyes playfully, cutting up a piece for himself. "Just because I was gonna be alone didn't mean I was willing to sacrifice a good meal. Besides, left-overs aren't ever a bad thing to have handy."
"Fair enough," Keith conceded, digging into the food before him, which looked a lot more edible now that there wasn't a head attached. Soon, his plate filled up with salad, rice, beans, and even a couple desserts, all of which he devoured rather quickly.
"You sure you meant to eat just a yogurt cup and a sausage link?" Lance teased, observing Keith as he finished up. "Because I checked the fridge a while ago and that's all you have in there."
"Aren't college students supposed to be malnutritioned?" Keith pointed out. "Just taking advantage of this opportunity."
Lance shrugged. "Fair enough."
Once they had finished and stored the rest in some tupperware, they reached an awkward silence, not knowing what to do with each other.
"So what else do you normally do?" Lance broke the ice.
"To be honest I just watch whatever's on," Keith admitted. "Mostly Christmas specials."
"Then let's do it!" Lance scurried over in front of the TV, picking up the blanket Keith had left strewn on the floor on the way there. Eagerly, he found the remote and started flipping the channels, wrapping himself up in the blanket. "Beats watching telenovelas any day."
"Telenove-what?" Keith questioned, sitting down next to Lance. He had never heard of such a thing.
"You've never watched one?" Lance stared in disbelief. "You lucky bastard."
"What is it?"
Grinning wickedly, Lance took out his phone from his pocket and turned it on. "Oh, I'll show you."
Without asking, Lance brought up Netflix and started typing something on the search bar.
Glancing at the screen, Keith had no idea what the title even meant. "Dooenos del Paraisoh?"
"Dueños del Paraíso," Lance corrected, pressing start. "It's about a woman who takes over her husband's drug-trafficking business after he dies. It's ridiculous."
"So why are we watching this?" To Keith, the premise didn't really sound all that ridiculous.
"Trust me, you haven't lived until you've watched a telenovela, my friend. They're hilariously bad most of the time," Lance explained as the opening theme began to play.
Keith wasn't completely on board with what they were about to watch, but he only took part of the blanket Lance had stolen and settled in to watch.
"But why would she do that if she could easily have done something else. Does she not have a brain?" Keith was practically shouting at the TV.
They were already four episodes in and although he hated to admit it, Keith was way more into this show than he had hoped to be. The characters kept making horrible decisions and being overly dramatic, but he couldn't help but be invested in what they ended up doing anyway.
"Telenovelas have a logic of their own," Lance said, scrolling through Instagram on his phone. He had ceased paying attention after the first two episodes, but he enjoyed watching Keith's reactions too much to put on anything else. Keith knew this, but he didn't bother taking it off either.
Suddenly, Lance's phone began buzzing. "Oh it's Ma!"
Adjusting his hair slightly and erecting his back, Lance pressed the answer button and his mother's face appeared on the screen.
"Feliz Navidad!" she called out, having to raise her voice to be heard above all the commotion that was happening behind her.
"Feliz Navidad, Ma," Lance smiled. "How's everyone else doing back home?"
Keith began to scoot a little to the side so he wouldn't show up in the call, but ended up hitting the leg of a nearby chair a little too loudly while trying to stand up.
"Everyone's fine!" Lance's mother assured her son before scrunching up her face. "But did I hear something just now?"
"Oh it's just Keith. I'm spending Christmas with him this year," Lance explained.
Keith, upon hearing that, was ready to make his escape, but Lance got hold of his arm and pulled him back up before he could do so.
"C'mon say hi!" Lance nudged Keith playfully and handed him his phone.
"Um, hi?" Keith awkwardly greeted.
Lance's mother only gasped and turned around to scream, "El Lance ya tiene novio!"** A series of loud cheers could be heard from the phone at that point.
Keith didn't understand what she had just said, but Lance's face instantly turned red. He immediately took back his phone and yelled, "No, no, no, that's not it! We just met a few hours ago!"
"So is this a hook-up kind of situation?" Lance's mother's face grew grave. "I know that you're in college already but-"
"NOOOO!"
Keith still wasn't too sure what was going on, but he had a hunch. Still, he pretended to not have taken notice for Lance's sake, who looked like he was about to faint of embarrassment.
Lance's mother only sighed and put a hand to her cheek. "That's too bad, he's really cute too."
"Ma, I love you, but I think I'll hang up now," Lance didn't even bother retaliating anymore.
"Fine, but know that we'll be waiting for you on the 27th!"
"I'll be there, don't worry," Lance waved goodbye and hung up.
The room was silent for a bit, as if the two had a mutual understanding that Lance needed some time to compose himself.
"Please tell me you understood none of that," Lance groaned, covering his face with the blanket.
"I didn't."
"Are you lying?"
"Yes?"
Lance made a little growling noise, then flopped over on his side, still hiding his face beneath the blanket.
"Your mom sounds nice, though," Keith attempted to console his new friend.
"I guess," Lance curtly replied.
Keith didn't exactly know what to do, so he stood back up and came back with two mugs full of some of the hot chocolate he had made earlier.
"Care for some?" Keith put a mug on the coffee table in front of Lance.
Slowly, Lance took the mug and took a sip, his mood improving gradually.
"You know…" Keith hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed himself. "This turned out to be a good idea."
"Hm?"
"That was some of the best food I've had in ages, and I definitely know what I'll be binge watching next," Keith continued. "And I have to admit, the company wasn't half bad either."
Lance poked him in the arm, back to his usual self. "10/10 would do again?"
Keith laughed and poked him back. "Why not?"
"Well I'll have you know that you're gonna have to join me in Florida next year if you want to make it happen," Lance teased.
"Guess I'll have to start saving then," Keith teased back.
"Hey, let's get breakfast in the morning. On me," Lance suggested, his voice shaking slightly. "I really did appreciate the company."
"Fair enough," Keith nodded taking another sip of his hot chocolate.
Keith had no way of knowing that he'd actually make it to Florida a year later. And he certainly wouldn't have known that he'd be received as Lance's novio once again, this time without having to deny it.
* Apparently, it's a Cuban tradition to roast an entire pig and eat it on Christmas Eve, so I decided to incorporate that since Lance has been confirmed Cuban
** The translation for this is: Lance has a boyfriend!