Because I'm new to the whole review thing I only just saw that I had any
Mals86: Now that it's all caught up here you can go either way since I'll be posting to both sites at the same time
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He'd spent about a week talking to his mother about Melody, in hopes that she'd miraculously figure out something to give his girlfriend, and came up with nothing. Had even managed to sneak into the kitchen while they were studying at her house to talk to her mother in case she'd have something in mind. Mothers, Tommy finally decided, were worthless when it came to dating advice, but he couldn't quite bring himself to ask her father. Not that the Morgenstern patriarch had ever been anything but congenial towards him, but he just wasn't comfortable asking what to get the man's daughter for Christmas.
Finally he cane up with, in not only his opinion but both mothers as well, the perfect Christmas present for Melody. It took ages to get the materials together, especially since Melody seemed to be the kind of girl that loved Christmas and everything to do with it, she'd even managed to wrangle a promise from him to go caroling with her and a few of her chorus friends. Sneaking around behind her back to talk to her mother about getting a hand with the present before barricading himself in his mother's room to get it finished in time.
The community center had a Christmas dance, which he'd also made serious effort to avoid like it was capable of giving him the plague, but his mother had threatened to walk out into the two feet of snow that covered the lawn if he didn't. So once more, arm twisted ruthlessly, he found himself agreeing to do something that at any other time he'd have considered felonious actions to avoid. But it felt good, watching his mother sip on eggnog on the Morgenstern's couch, listening with a half ear to the conversation as curled up comfortably on the floor near her hip playing some kind of Christmas twisted version of Go Fish with Melody.
At one point he made sure that he caught his mother beneath the mistletoe, wrapping an arm around her waist and carefully dipping her to exaggeratedly kiss her to make her laugh. He didn't even mind the applause from the Morgenstern's, grinning down at his mother before slowly pulling her back up, happily accepting the enthusiastic embrace and merry laughter in his ear. Memories of past Christmases kept trying to swarm to the fore, but he ruthlessly shoved them back, instead focusing on the gingersnaps his mother had made, and the way Melody nipped the tips of his fingers when she stole a bite before grinning at him impishly.
Two days until Christmas, he watched Melody run around her house, making last minute changes and in general making him feel jittery with how she wouldn't sit still for even a moment. In a desperate bid for a moment of peace, he tucked a finger into one of the belt loops on her jeans and yanked her on top of him where he' was sprawled on the couch.
"Mel!" Letting out a soft grunt when her elbow buried itself in his stomach, he struggled to keep her on the couch and not scrambling to adjust the Christmas lights that were apparently a whole millimeter off. "For fuck's sake the place looks like Father Christmas went on a cookie binge and focused only on your house. It looks great."
"Tommy you don't get it, I need it to be perfect!"
"Why? It's just a holiday."
The horrified gasp that garnered had him hurriedly wrapping his arms around her to pin the likely flail he'd induced, grinning up at her as she straddled his waist and tried to pull herself loose. Pinning her hands to his chest, he leaned upward to kiss her chin and jaw since the idea of having a swollen lip on Christmas wasn't exactly ideal. The idea of getting caught by her parents wasn't ideal either but that didn't stop him from enjoying the way she kissed him once she'd settled down, or the way her hands bunched the fabric of his shirt when he coaxed her mouth open to dip his tongue inside.
Fingers tangling in her hair, he grinned into the kiss, tasting the soft noises she made as she squirmed, her hands sliding beneath his shirt to run her palms up to his chest and back down his sides. He liked this part, a lot, the roll of her hips, the way his body felt like it was catching fire as he tried to stop himself from taking it too far. It didn't help that she didn't seem to have a stop moment, or the fact that even when his hands slipped into the back of her pants she didn't stop him, if anything she ground down harder. She was going to be the death of him if they didn't do something soon.
A throat clearing broke them apart, though only their lips, Tommy's hands still tangled in her hair as he grinned up at her sheepishly, thumbs brushing over her temples as he leaned up for one more quick press before reluctantly working his fingers free and tugging his shirt down over his stomach. The fact that both of her parents seemed to be incredibly amused by the tenuous restraint the young couple had left Tommy feeling awkward every time her mother smiled at him. Almost as if she were already planning what the two of them would be doing after high school, the whole shebang, and the fact that it didn't send him running for the hills made his stomach knot at night sometimes as he was going to sleep.
"Is your mother feeling well enough to come over for Christmas dinner, Tommy?"
"Um," Clearing his throat as Melody moved to let him swing his legs off the couch, he scooted closer to the arm of the couch and glanced out the living room window. "I don't know if that's a good idea, there's supposed to be a storm or somethin' and if we come over for dinner I don't want to try walkin' her home after."
"Don't be silly, we've got a spare room she can stay in for the night if the snow's that bad, we'll drive you both home in the morning."
Blinking slowly, his mouth opened only to close, head nodding as he shifted to cross his legs to hide the erection that was refusing to go limp. Melody's mother, God bless her, acted as though she hadn't even noticed, though it may have to do a lot with the fact that her eggnog was spiked with a cinnamon spiced rum and she was on her third glass. Making his excuses, he kissed Melody's cheek and headed home to collect his mother for the Christmas meal they were invited to. He wasn't entirely sure that she'd want to go, no that was a lie, he wasn't sure he wanted to go. With the sudden boost to his mother's help, he selfishly wanted to spend Christmas at home alone, just the two of them, but even as he thought it he knew it would be a terrible idea. Reluctantly accepting the ride Melody's father offered, and the ride back for him and his mother both.
Just sitting on the end of her bed and talking about the possibilities, the memories of fighting over the biggest slice of pie with Brendan, or the way his father had looked with a Santa hat on his thick mane of hair as he carved the ham. Maybe it would be better to spend the holidays with the Morgensterns, besides they had a spread of cookies that had his mouth watering every time he thought about it. But if his mother shot it down he wouldn't push.
Tommy shouldn't have bothered worrying, his mother was talking to Melody's mother by the time he made it home, pausing in the entryway to shake off the snow that had landed on his shoulders just on the short walk from the car to the house. He had about two minutes to get over his shock as his mother packed an overnight bag for them both, smiling so broadly Tommy felt his chest warm and happily helped her into her coat. His throat closed when she tilted her head back to stare up at the falling snow, her fingers gripping his upper arm tightly to pull him to a stop.
"It's a White Christmas Thomas, look."
"We're in Washington, mom, of course it is."
"Don't you sass me, how can you not be excited about a White Christmas?"
There was something in the tone of her voice that made his stomach lurch, his teeth catching his lower lip at the implications his mind took from it. This Christmas could be the last one, could be the last time they spent the holidays smiling and laughing, and suddenly he wanted to take her back into the house and shut out the world. As much as he wanted to spend Christmas sneaking around behind the parents' backs to kiss beneath the mistletoe, or up to her room for a heavy make out session, the reconfirmation that it might be their last Christmas-
"What the hell was that?!" He squawked, pawing at the sudden cold on his neck, his eyes widening when he saw that his mother had scooped a handful of snow off the hood of the car and actually threw it at him. "Are you crazy?"
"You will not mope on Christmas, you understand me? Or do I have to hit you with another snowball?"
"You've lost your mi- Mom! Put the snowball down, c'mon!"
The next one hit him square in the face, mostly because he'd assumed she wouldn't actually throw it, wiping his face as dry as he was able before realizing that his mother had made it into the car with the help of Melody's father. Grumbling, he reached out for the handle of the back door only to slip and fall flat on his back, staring up at the falling snow with enough annoyance he was surprised that it didn't melt before it landed on his face. The ride back to Melody's house was sound tracked by his mother's laughter and then the hushed conversation of the adults talking about Christmases they'd celebrated as children.
Another snowball was waiting for him when they got back to the house, Melody's laughter filling his ears as his head snapped to glare at her over his shoulder, handing over the job of getting his mother into the house to her father to ball up a handful of the fluff. Before he even had a chance to launch it, another one caught him on the side of his face, leaving his cheek stinging as he finally threw his only to miss. Deciding that his aim probably wasn't going to get any better, Tommy dashed around the front of the car and charged her. He tackled her into the snow that had built up, shoveling a handful of snow onto her face as she squealed about the cold. They spent an hour tearing up the lawn, more often than not, Tommy found himself dealing with not only the sting of a snow ball hitting him, but to his pride as well when most of his attempts missed. There was no shortage of snow to throw Melody into, or for her to throw apparently, yet they still managed to stain their knees with mud as they scrambled to try to out do each other.
"What'd you get me for Christmas?" Melody yelled at him, the sound of a snowball hitting the side of the mailbox as he ran past it causing him to put on an extra burst of speed.
"I can't tell you that, that'd defeat the point of callin' it a Christmas Present."
"If I promised to still act surprised when I got it, could you tell me what it is?"
"Not a chance in-" Cursing softly as he found himself rolling in the snow, Tommy shook it off and launched a handful of snow at Melody and cheered for himself when it actually hit her. "No, no way, do you have any idea how hard I worked on makin' just the right thing?"
"You made me something? Really? What is it? If I guess right will you tell me?"
Taking advantage of her distraction, Tommy tacked her into the snow again, getting a two handfuls of snow shoved into his face for his trouble. Still smiling, he pinned her hands above her head and scooped up as much as he could, holding it over her face as he pretended to listen to her begging before letting it slide off his palm to splatter on her forehead.
"Nope. You'll have to wait til tomorrow night, your mom already said it'd be alright if you opened on present early."
"Or you could let me open it tonight and rewrap it so they don't know."
"Well it ain't really wrapped, but its got a ribbon on it." Purposefully letting a hint of innuendo slip into his tone, he grinned at her shocked expression. "All you'll have to do is slip the ribbon off, and play with it. Ain't I generous, givin' you a piece of me on the Holidays?"
"Tommy... you're not- I mean you wouldn't- My Papa-"
"Is in on it."
"What!? There is no way my Papa is okay with us doing... That!" Her already red cheeks burned hotter as she stared up at him mortified.
"That what?"
"You know, se- Why are you laughing?"
"Did you really think I was goin' to tie a ribbon on it and tell your parents I was goin' to? Do I look suicidal to you? Nah I did somethin' else, but I really think you'll like it."
Melody stared up at him seething before surprising him with a handful of snow that sent melted snow dripping into his ear, another handful going down the back of his shirt and earning her the chance to escape as he reached back with both hands to try and shake it loose from his shirt. Even being tackled into the snow didn't bother him much, howling with laughter as she continued to fill his clothing with snow as she berated him for the tease.
Shivering in the entryway, Tommy watched Melody run up the stairs to her room before slowly peeling off his soaked clothing. Even as his mother scolded him for staying out too long, he chafed his arms and avoided meeting her eyes because he couldn't stop smiling. Skin blue and pimpling he still felt warm from the way her body had molded to his, her knees gripping his waist as they'd rolled in the snow, her hands slamming a handful of snow on the back of his head before pulling him down for a kiss that had warmed him to his toes. Toweling himself off, he pulled out the sweater his mother had packed as well as the sweatpants with a grateful sigh, the cold seemed to have settled to his bones though his cheeks were burning at the amused looks that both mothers were sending his way as he stepped out of the bathroom.
He still wasn't sure that staying the weekend was a great idea, but the idea of helping Melody's mother prepare Christmas Dinner had made his mother so happy he hadn't been able to think of a single thing to say against it. Falling asleep on the couch with the Christmas lights blinking softly in the corner had been easier than he thought, the afghan more than warm enough as he tried to get comfortable on the almost too small couch. The thought of sneaking up to Melody's room to sleep with her passed through his mind as he yawned, throwing a leg over the back of the couch before setting it aside, there was only so far he was willing to push his luck, besides which he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to keep his hands to himself. Or Melody could for that matter.
Melody singing in the shower woke him up, blearily looking around and trying to figure out where he was before abruptly sitting up and scrubbing his hands over his face. Apparently she'd forgotten about Tommy sleeping on the couch too, walking out of the bathroom in a towel that barely covered her thighs and humming before catching sight of his wide eyed stare and ducking back into the bathroom. It was going to be a very long day with that image burned into his mind, falling back and rolling to face the couch with a groan in an attempt to go back to sleep. Tommy jumped, startled by the fingers lightly playing over the back of his head, cautiously turning his head to find his mother smiling down at him and feeling his lips twist into a sleepy smile of his own.
"Happy Christmas Eve, Tommy."
