A/N Today's word is Nest, and the theme is Ornaments. Another In Character chapter! This takes place near the end of the movie, on Christmas day, when Ian visits Edward to see how things are going in the kitchen. Edward is still questioning his sexuality, but he's too stressed about making dinner for Sarah's family to really think about it.

Reviews are always welcome!

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Back In Character

"And, action!"

Edward is heard swearing from the kitchen when the doorbell rings, and he rushes into the living room to answer it.

"Ian! Oh Thank god! I burned the carrots, and the gravy is lumpy!" Edward exclaims before the taller man can even say hello.

Ian smiles at him. "Relax, take a deep breath! Good! Now come on, let's see what we can do about the gravy."

They head into the kitchen, and the paler man inspects the gravy. "Okay, right. Use your emulsion blender to blend that better. It's the long stick thingy," he explains, seeing the confusion in the other man's eyes. "Do you have more carrots? I can prep them for you while you work on this."

Edward lets out a sigh of relief and gets another bunch of carrots from the fridge, and the emulsion blender from under the sink. "The gravy actually taste really good, so once you get the lumps worked out, it should be fine. What about the turkey, when did you check on that last?"

Edward glanced at the clock. "About an hour ago. I was going to check it again in another fifteen minutes."

"I'll do it for you once I finish cleaning and peeling these carrots, and then you can get started on them. And turn the heat down on the gravy now, before you forget."

As they worked, Edward kept sneaking glances of Ian out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he got up the courage to ask the question he'd been thinking of since the snowball fight the day before. "Can I ask you something?"

Ian glanced over at him as he leaned into the oven to baste the turkey. "What's that?"

"Are you gay?"

The auburn haired man stood up abruptly, almost burning himself on the oven door. "Wh-why do you ask?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Forget I asked." Edward hastily turned away and added the butter and honey to the glaze for the carrots. An awkward silence filled the kitchen for a moment as Ian finished basting the turkey and closed the oven.

"Yes, I am." The chef finally admitted, barely audible.

"Oh. Well, that's fine. I mean, it's okay, I'm not going to judge you or anything. I was just curious."

Ian wiped his hands on a dish towel as he slowly turned to face the other man. "I just came out to my dad last night."

Edward looked incredulous. "Your parents didn't know?"

Ian shook his head. "I was afraid to tell them. They've always expected so much of me, and I never wanted to disappoint them. I told my dad last night about my dream of becoming a fashion designer. He was actually more supportive than I expected him to be. And then I kind of just, accidentally told him that I'm gay, and he was okay with that, too."

"But, why did you decide to come out now?"

Ian turned away from him again. "Let's not talk about that right now. I almost forgot, I got you a gift."

Edward was surprised. "You did? You didn't have to get me anything."

Ian waved it off. "It's nothing. I saw it at the Holiday Bazaar last week, and it made me think of you." He retrieved the small package from his coat pocket and handed it to the shorter man. "Here. Go on, open it!"

Edward took the gift in hands that were only slightly shaky. He hesitated a moment before untying the ribbon and opening the box. Inside, wrapped in tissue paper, was an ornament, shaped like a bird's nest with two eggs inside. A banner that read 'There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays' hung from the twigs.

"It's beautiful, thank you!" Edward smiled at the taller man. "But I didn't get you anything!"

Ian just shrugged. "It's okay. I just wanted you to have something to remember me by. I mean these past two weeks. I've actually enjoyed working with you."

"I've enjoyed being with you too, Ian."

The two men looked at each other for a long moment, and it seemed that they were moving closer, but they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing again. Edward frowned. "That can't be Sarah's family, their flight isn't due for another hour!"

Ian gently pushed the other man towards the door. "Let them in. I'll whip up some hors d'oeuvres real quick. And before you protest, it's not cheating! You made dinner fair and square. You are allowed to let me make your guests a light snack while they wait for it to finish cooking! Go! Don't make them stand out there in the cold!"

"And cut!"