Hello! Happy late Christmas! We wanted to publish this the 25th but we got delayed xD Hope you enjoy this! Miz published a drawing and I did too, you can find it in deviantart!
Snow came early this year.
Dillon, freezing even under his 2 jackets, watched his little brother run and throw snow around. He still didn't like babysitting, and he was freezing to death here, but like hell he was taking his eyes off Diego after his near heart attack from losing his brother over the summer.
All to win good boy points to make his parents agree to Dillon and Phillip's plan…
Phillip was doing the same with his parents. He didn't have little siblings to babysit and act good, but he was cleaning around the house, he volunteered to take out the trash without anyone asking him to, and even volunteered to help in his parents' church to wrap donated gifts to kids from a foster home. He thought their church was cool, it wasn't one of those conservative, old-fashioned and discriminatory ones, the priest was a young man and he was kinda cool and accepted everyone (though his methods to get close to the younger ones were kinda cringy when he tried to be 'hip to the jive'), but Phillip wasn't one to go to church all the time.
Still, it was all done so his mom's friends would go "Aaawww! You have such a nice son~!" "He's such a handsome young man!" "So sweet and kind!" And once his mommy heard just how amazing he was and how lucky she was to have him as her son…. well, Phillip wanted to ask for something big from them.
At some point, his parents realized he wasn't doing it just from the kindness of his heart from being infested by Christmas spirit. "What do you want, kid?" Jerry deadpanned at his son as he handed them all some hot chocolate with homemade cookies he made himself during dinner.
"Me~~~? Can't a very busy boy decide to spend some time with his dear mom and dad?" Phillip put a hand over his chest, faking offense.
"You aren't one to do things without being asked" His dad huffed. "Excuse me, I'm going to be a doctor, the epitome of selfless servitude~" Phillip whined.
His mom snorted into her mug. "Really, if I was seven I might fall for that." She wiped her face neatly. "So what do you want, Philly?"
The red headed boy huffed and dropped the act. His arms fell to his side and he took a deep breath. "So~You know how I've been dating Dillon for like 2 years now~"
"No. You can't get married at this age." His mom, Sam, frowned.
"What? No! We don't wanna get married yet!" Phillip wrinkled his nose. "I mean like, you know Dillon is really amazing and he makes me very happy. You have met him, and his parents know me, Mrs. Pines was very glad I babysat Diego while they were out."
And they lost the boy, but he didn't plan to mention that!
"So~ Dillon's family isn't traveling for the holidays so Dillon and I were thinking if we could please, please, please, please, PLEASE spend Christmas together? I mean, both our families? Here?" Phillip grinned widely.
Sam and Jerry blinked at him. "Aren't they like... Jewish , Phillip?" Jerry raised an eyebrow.
The young man made a face. "I mean, yeah? But people still celebrate Christmas? Not religiously, just as a holiday? I mean, it represents a time to share and be with family, and even if you don't believe in the story behind it, we can still celebrate it!" He argued to his thoughtful looking parents.
"Please?" Phillip begged. Jerry sighed. "Well… as long as his family is okay with it. I don't… wanna offend them." Sam nudged her husband. "Hush you. I think it might be nice to meet Dillon's family. Our boys have been together for a while now, I'm surprised I haven't met them."
"So is that a yes?!" The younger red-headed man squealed and his dad massaged his temples. "Alright. Fine...I guess we can invite them over…"
"YYYEEEEESSSSSSSS!" Sam laughed at her son's enthusiasm and watched as Jerry grabbed his shirt to pull him closer.
"BUT. I want your boyfriend's direct family, yeah? Not his entire army of family. Not his triplets." Jerry said sternly.
"But I like Dillon's uncles!" Phillip protested.
Sam thought about it before replying. "I think it's better if we meet Stanley and Carla first, before meeting the rest of their family. I'd prefer if this was more direct and personal." She explained calmly. "If you and Dillon want to stay together or get more serious, it would be nice to get to know my future siblings-in-law."
Phillip flushed. "Moooom~!"
Jerry rolled his eyes. "What a baby~ Now bring me more chocolate."
-.-
Once Phillip confirmed it from his side, it was time for Dillon to do his part. All his good deeds led to this very moment.
While Stan was very confusedly trying to understand Diego ramble about the plot of some children cartoons, and his mom laid on him and checked her phone, Dillon sat next to Stan and smiled.
"Holy god, guys, you know?! Soooo random~~ Phillip has JUST told me out of the blue that his parents are inviting us over for Christmas! Isn't that so cool?! It isn't like I've been planning this with him for months or anything!" Dillon grinned.
"For Christmas?" Carla asked as Stan covered Diego's mouth to stop babbling. "We don't have to buy presents, do we? We're already wasting enough money for Hanukkah with your mom's side!"
"Phillip!" Diego squealed, pulling his dad's huge hand off his face. He wanted to hang out with his brother's boyfriend some more. Phillip was fun! And Christmas? Diego saw Christmas stuff on TV and his cousin Mabel liked to celebrate the gift giving part, and that was really cool because he got presents! but Diego never had a real Christmas before.
"I wanna cel-brate Christmas with Phillip! Why dun we have Christmas?" Diego questioned his parents with a very serious look on his young face.
Stan grimaced and looked at Carla so she could respond. "Because we celebrate other things, Diego." Carla said plainly.
"But why!"
"Because we do." Stan grumbled.
Diego wrinkled his nose. "But if we don't cel-brate Christmas, Santa is never going to come…" At his sad pout, Stan softened a little. "Well, I told you he skips our house because your nice dad and mom already give you presents, right? So we don't have to celebrate it."
"But...I want to get a present from Santa too…"
Dillon coughed loudly. "Eh hem!" He glared. "We were talking about ME~!" He wasn't sure why his parents still kept up the idea of Santa, even when they didn't even celebrate. Also, he wasn't sure if his dad was just being stingy by pretending Santa didn't visit because they already bought presents.
"We heard you, honey." Carla chuckled. "You want us to meet Phillip's family." Dillon flushed. "Y-yeah. I just thought… it would be fun… you know, hanging out with them for the holidays."
"Is your grandma invited?" Carla asked with a raised eyebrow. Dillon nodded. "Of course! Granny is the matriarch of the family! She HAS to come."
Stan and Carla snorted. Matriarch indeed. Carla knew that Kari could still boss Stan around whenever she wanted. Or any of his brothers for that matter.
It'd be fun to see that someday~
"Well, I think meeting them is a great idea, I don't know why we haven't done that yet. We didn't invite them to our wedding?" She looked at her husband, who shrugged like the useless man he was, and groaned. "Why didn't we?"
"Phillip says his parents would have been too embarrassed anyway. You know, 'famous party'." Dillon rolled his eyes. Sure, the wedding was pretty wild, but it wasn't that bad… was it?
"Well, I guess we can make up for that for Christmas, yes. But we're still going to your grandparents' for Hanukkah." Carla agreed and Stan had no other choice but to cross his arms. "Ok fine, I guess! But I'm not giving more presents!"
Dillon squealed and hugged his parents tightly.
-.-
Stan parked in front of the Abbott's house with a grumble. It was nicely decorated with colorful Christmas lights. The first thing he had noticed was that it was a good neighborhood, then that the house was very nice and big. Good. Point for ginger boy.
Diego held tight to the present for Phillip (because he wanted to give it to him, much to Dillon's annoyance), while Carla held the presents for his parents.
Stan was glad they were only three! Carla couldn't believe he was this stingy about things like this. He literally had money coming out his sleeves!
"I hope you behave!" Dillon poked Diego's belly as Stan picked his smaller kid up. Diego scoffed. "YOU behave! I'm good!" the four year old sassed back.
Dillon poked his stomach again, this time with two fingers and harder and Diego smacked him in the face with a whine. "Ow!" Dillon glared at the toddler. "Hey! Stop it you two or we're going home!" Carla called back to them and Kari sent them a glare.
The boys quickly settled down and tried to look innocent. Stan sniggered before Carla nudged him. "You, however, will still have to go and meet Phillip's parents even if the boys get sent home." Stan settled down too, not wanting to be left alone with the Abbotts. They were only staying for the whole afternoon and evening today on Christmas. They planned to leave around or before midnight, only because Dillon wanted to stay longer and Carla didn't want to impose on the other family for too long. Also, Diego was probably going to fall asleep long before that. So frankly, their time here was dependent on how long Diego stayed awake. (Hence why Dillon insisted on Diego taking a nap beforehand, so he would be awake much longer.)
So the group of five walked over to the door and rang the doorbell. It took a few seconds for it to be flung open and reveal an older ginger man standing there, looking awkward but trying to give a true smile .
"Hello, you must be the Pines. I'm Jerr-"
"Babyy! Merry Christmas!" Phillip squealed when he saw his boyfriend standing at the door and rushed to pick him up, holding him by his waist. Phillip easily picked Dillon up and kissed the tip of his lips. "Merry Christmas to you too~" Dillon purred. "We did it."
"We totally did it!" Phillip put him back on his feet and held up a mistletoe. "You know, this is a very, very important tradition in Christmas...Will you help me fulfill it?" Phillip raised an eyebrow in a way that made Dillon moan internally.
"Oh, I'm sure I can try my best~" He leaned closer to get a better kiss when suddenly both boys were abruptly separated from each other by Stan's broad figure. "HeLLO, Phillip kid! Nice house! You'll let us come in, won't you!?"
Dillon glared at his dad as he handed him a squirming Diego, who was wrapped in lots of jackets, mittens, a scarf and his hat. He looked like a marshmallow, with how puffy he was.
"Dillon, help me! Want them off!" Diego wiggled his arms to prove they were useless. He wanted to be freed from his cloth prison.
Stan was slightly taller than Jerry and he smiled at him. "Stanley Pines." He introduced himself with a handshake. Jerry smiled back, "Jerry Abbot." Stan noted that the man's handshake was firm but not too tight. Eh… acceptable.
"I-I've seen you play, big fan." Jerry admitted.
"Oh really?" Stan raised an eyebrow. Was he just trying to flatter him?
...well that was fine! Stan loved having his ego stroked.
"Oh please, don't stay there standing there! Please take a seat!" Sam came out of the kitchen in a hurry, nudging her husband on her way for not inviting them in, it was rude to leave guests on the doorstep out in the cold.
"You must be Carla! Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Sam." Sam hugged the curly haired woman and Carla returned the gesture, their interaction much more friendly in nature. "Oh, I know! It's great to finally meet you!" They separated and Carla presented her mother-in law. "Kari Pines, she's Stanley's mother."
Then more hugs and smiles were given.
"Oh yes, Phillip talked about you, Mrs. Pines. What was the word you used, honey?" Sam looked at Phillip, who was struggling not to laugh while Diego tried to drag him away to color with him and Dillon trying to pull Diego away from his boyfriend. ""Matriarch!"" The two older boys said at the same time. Kari burst out laughing, well it was true.
"Diego, come on! I struggled a lot to make this possible!" Dillon complained, trying to pry his little brother off his boyfriend. "But I wanna play with Phillip!" Diego whined, holding on to Phillip's hand like a vice. "Find your own boyfriend!" Dillon scoffed. "Ew!"
Phillip sighed dramatically. This was what he got for being so irresistible~ He reached out his free hand to take Dillon's. "How about we all go in, take your jackets off, and play together?" He truly had the patience of a saint. But he broke his calm vibe by laughing at Dillon and Diego's identical deadpan expressions. "Come on you two." He rolled his eyes and walked off, a Pines boy on each arm.
Stan and Jerry blinked at the exchange and, as his son was trying to do, Jerry invited them to take off their jackets and please sit down. He led the adults towards the living room and Stan's quick brown eyes were scanning the place for goodies. Not to steal, he didn't do that anymore~ But to know stuff. Material things were everything!
So far, those couches, the rug and the decorations on the glass table looked expensive. So they were pretty well off. There were… dozens of nutcrackers, lining the tops of cabinets, tables, the ground as well. Stan raised an eyebrow. Who the heck owned this many nutcrackers? There was a well decorated tree in the corner of the living room, surrounded by more nutcrackers.
Sam gasped and ran back to the kitchen to bring the cookies she made for everyone. Carla and Kari accompanied her to the kitchen to help her, so Stan found himself alone with Jerry again.
"Hey...so, what do you do for a living?" He started a polite conversation as he casually followed Diego with his eyes. Wouldn't want that clumsy boy breaking something and having to pay for it. He was examining the Christmas tree, so, so far nothing bad. "Also. Ah… what's… with the nutcrackers?"
Jerry burst out laughing, loud, as Phillip groaned embarrassed and hid his face on his boyfriend's chest. Dillon raised a curious eyebrow at him.
"Oh it's a funny story really." Jerry grinned. "When Phillip was younger, we took him to see that ballet, and he really loved it. So much that he begged for a nutcracker for Christmas. From everyone. Us, his aunts and uncles, even to Santa." Phillip was covering his face, "Daaaaaaaad!"
"So we all got him a nutcracker. And the next year, Phillip wanted nutcrackers again. So we got more. It continued for a few years until he finally outgrew it, but at that point it'd become a tradition, so we just keep getting nutcrackers for Christmas."
Dillon was trying to hold back his laughter as Phillip practically sobbed on his chest, his face extremely red from embarrassment. "DAAADDDD!"
"What? You were adorable!" Jerry snickered. "You liked to have them in your room too!"
"When-When I was six! Y-you arranged them all in my ROOM yesterday! Christmas Eve! While I was asleep!" Phillip cried. "I woke up to find myself surrounded! They were ALL staring at me!" He was almost terrified out of his mind!
""HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"" Dillon and Stan couldn't hold back laughter anymore and just wiped their happy tears.
"Oh my, I know what I'm dressing as for Halloween now…" Dillon whispered at his boyfriend, who screamed again.
"I just thought the ballet dancer was cuteee!" Phillip sobbed. Curse that dancer playing the nutcracker being so goddamn handsome for baby gay him!
After he finished laughing at Phillip, a healthy dose necessary to cope with him dating his boy, Stan got back on topic. "So, what do you do? You're obviously quite well off to afford all these nutcrackers." There were some large ones here, and Stan could smell the expensive wood and craftsmanship.
"Oh, I'm a surgeon."
Right, Stan finally remembered Phillip telling him that. But he liked having the confirmation. Also, He HAD run a background check. But hearing it from the man directly meant Stan could judge him. How confidant he sounded, how proud of his career he seemed...
Good. Stan liked that.
"Mr. Phillip's dad! Santa comes today or he came in the morning? You said Phillip asked for a nutcracker!" Diego looked around. "Your chimmey is closed! How will he come?!
"Oh, don't worry. Santa's very resourceful." Jerry grinned. "He can get in using maaagic~"
"Dad…" Jerry's grin made Phillip groan. Jerry shrugged. "Well Santa IS magic. That's just how it is."
Diego "Ooooh"ed. "So he's a wizard." He scrunched his face up to think, "Maybe he makes portals! Like the one my daddy and uncle Ford used to go to travel into space."
Stan stood up, laughing loud and awkward as he waved at his youngest. "Hah! Diego, why don't you go check on your mom huh!? I think she's got cookies!"
"Ok!" Diego skipped away to find his mommy and Stan looked at Jerry with a nervous look. However, the other man didn't think much about it. "He has a very wild imagination."
"You have no idea."
Dillon sighed in relief as he stroked Phillip's locks on their spot on a couch. He needed to have a talk with Diego about keeping his yap shut. Real magic and stuff was a secret. Though… Dillon looked over at his boyfriend. He… he could tell Phillip, once he was sure Phillip wouldn't freak out over something like that.
He had to prepare him for the news, wouldn't want him to have a panic attack.
Finally, Stan was saved when the women came back with snacks and drinks. Diego felt very useful helping to carry two plates. How cute, in fact, Phillip cooed at him for it.
They didn't need to move to the table as it was just snacks, but Jerry finally decided to help by serving hot chocolate for everyone. Everyone sat down, Diego happily took a seat between his big brother and Phillip, but the ginger boy gently reassured Dillon with a hand squeeze.
As Diego nibbled on a cookie and admired the cute Christmas decorations, Sam thanked the Pines for accepting their invitation this holiday which was the perfect time to share and see their families together. "Please enjoy! We'll have lunch after this, is that alright?" Everyone nodded. Kari was sipping her hot chocolate elegantly, lounging on her chair like the queen she was.
They started talking about themselves and their families, while Diego just munched cookies and the young couple happily nuzzled each other. After he finished, Diego was covered in crumbs and stood up to play with the toys he brought.
"Diego!" Carla warned but Sam waved it off. "No, let him be, he's just a little boy~" She cooed at him. "I miss when Philly was that age, he used to be so cute~"
"Excuse me, used to ?" Phillip gasped. "I have to disagree, Mrs. Abbott, Phillip is still pretty cute." Dillon said solemnly. "Thank you, baby!"
Stan and Jerry rolled their eyes at the same time.
"Eh, so, you have siblings or something? You must know I have 3 brothers" Stan asked just to change the topic. "Carla doesn't have siblings, but cousins are cool too. Holidays are always pretty loud!"
"Yeah, we spent Hanukkah with them a few days ago actually, it was nice." Carla complemented.
Jerry and Sam looked at Phillip before looking back at the Pines. "Well, I have 2 siblings, Sam has 4 siblings…"
"Oh really? You didn't tell me you had a big family too!" Dillon narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend who sighed. "Well, we don't really...see each other."
Stan frowned a little bummed out and glanced at the other parents. "You're on bad terms with them, huh? Yeah, I know what that feels…" He grimaced at the thought of what his extended family thought of him and his triplets. Yeah, he didn't visit his dad's side of the family. Ever. Not once, he didn't have to. Heck, he didn't even know if his father was alive!
The mention of their family made the table go silent and the awkward silence was making everyone uncomfortable. Luckily, Diego came back bouncing and pulled at his mom's sweater. "I'm hungry!"
"Oh! Don't worry, you little sweetheart! You're going to eat now!" Sam cooed at him. Now that the cookies were eaten, they decided to move to the dining room for the real lunch. Sam didn't want to leave the adorable child waiting.
"He's very well-behaved for a 4 year old." Sam congratulated Carla.
"HAH!" Dillon couldn't help but exclaim, earning a slap on the shoulder from Phillip.
"You have no right to say anything." Carla laughed. "You only behaved when you felt like it. This-" She motioned around. "Wouldn't have been possible with you at Diego's age."
Diego sent his brother the smuggest look a four year old could make. Everyone chuckled a bit and it was Dillon's time to blush.
"I thought you were hilarious." Stan reassured him but Dillon sneered. "How would YOU know? You weren't even here." He said like a brat because he felt embarrassed. Phillip squeezed his hand with his eyes wide while Carla and Kari glared at the teen.
Stan nodded slowly. "You're right, you're right… I don't think I should comment about it if I only saw some videos...Hey! Now that I remember, I bought champagne, Carla where did I put it? I didn't leave it in the car, did I?" He stood up with a smile. Everyone relaxed, seeing as he didn't seem upset about Dillon's slip. For his part, Dillon winced. "Dad- I didn't mean it like that…"
"It's fine. It's true after all." Stan waved him off as he headed to the kitchen. "Where's yer bottle opener? I'm gonna need that once I find the champagne."
Everyone looked at each other. Kari, who knew Stan best out of everyone, sighed and stood up. "I'm going to talk to him." She told them all before heading out. She found her son in his car, with his face buried in his arms. "Stanny?" Kari opened the door and slid in beside him. Stan breathed, "I…Is it wrong that I want to punch Sebastian and Ford right now? There is so much I missed… so much I can never get back…" And part of him couldn't help but blame his triplets for that, just a little. Ford for being stupid enough to build the damn thing, Seb for shoving them all in. (And William's note on how 13 years had already passed on the other side, and they couldn't be sent back until they were time synched, that also sucked. Fuck the time-bullshit, he would have been fine with screwing up the timeline!)
Kari sighed and gently rubbed his shoulders. "Beating yourself up about it or blaming your brothers won't change the past, Lee. It already happened, and you have your sons NOW." She said. She could understand what he was feeling. Maybe she didn't disappear, but it surely felt like it. She didn't help her sons when they needed her the most, and she blamed herself about it every day… But she tried not to. Right now she had them together, she had her sons and she'd try to be there for them now.
"So what? I just nod along to everything Carla says about Dillon? Ma, I don't know my son!" He ran a hand through his hair. "We've been together for-like-FIVE years! I know it's not my fault and all that shit, but... you saw how Dillon reacted to it, I'm not entitled to talk about his life, not most of it anyway. He got angry at me for even trying to…"
Stan didn't usually talk about this. He had been more than grateful with how GREAT Dillon reacted to seeing him after so long… They just went with it after that, both of them trying to act as if they knew each other since forever so neither of them had to think about how much they had hurt from not being together.
But sometimes… Stan couldn't help but feel like he was a failure as a father. His son was already an adult (even if he was a teenager, 18 couldn't possibly be an adult! He was still a kid! Still just a kid! And… that just ended up reminding him about how Seb had been kicked out of the house even younger than Dillon was now. God he was just a kid...) and Stan had missed… everything. He didn't see Dillon's first steps. His first words. His first birthday. Never got to hold him in his arms and rock him to sleep after feeding him... (or other stupid girly shit that Stan was embarrassed to admit to himself he actually wanted to do.) Dillon was already pretty much a teenager when Stan finally got back. 13 years behind that portal. He was already big enough to not need Stan looking after him all the time.
Stan grimaced as he realized that even though he was here NOW, and had Diego, whom he COULD be with as he grew up, he was always busy with work and didn't… actually spend as much time with him as he rightfully should.
He was always working, earning money. He had to. He wanted to give Diego and Dillon the best life. Stan grew up poor, well, not exactly poor, but they never got to get everything they wanted. They had to share their clothes, their rooms, their toys. He wanted Dillon and Diego to have things all for themselves. He wanted them to be able to afford to get anything-
(Though, Stan admitted, he was still pretty stingy. He couldn't help it. He grew up with his father always talking about wasting money and then behind the portal he had to manage his and Sixer's money and resources to keep the both of them alive… he…)
"Urgh, I'm such a mess…" Stan groaned loudly, wishing he was actually drinking the champagne. or smoking. Or doing anything but thinking. Kari pulled him closer to her and he allowed it. His mom silently held him and even kissed his cheek, which made him chuckle. "Ma, I ain't 10 anymore."
"But you're feeling sad...So I'm holding you." She wiped his cheek and Stan frowned. "Hey! I'm not crying!"
"Oh don't mind me, I'm practicing for when you decide to stop acting like a robot and show your emotions." Kari wiped it again, making Stan roll his eyes. Really, why were her boys so adverse to it? Filbrick. It all came back to her former husband.
"I'm not a woman...or Sebastian, Ma, I ain't crying. You know what? I'm fine now. Thanks. Let's go back inside before they think I'm crying."
Kari sighed and allowed him to leave her embrace. "Your son adores you, Lee… Dillon waited for you with fervor, and he still loves you with that same passion…"
Stan nodded. "Ok…thanks." He didn't sound all that convinced. Kari pulled him in for another hug. "You don't have to keep beating yourself up about it." She had to bury her face in his chest. "You know I missed you too. I never got to see you grow up either."
"What?!" Stan blinked. "Yes you did. It was Sebastian who you didn't-" He shut his mouth before he could finish that sentence.
"I watched you grow from a child into a larger child." Kari managed to chuckle. "But you're more responsible now. Even if you pretend you're not. I've seen how late you stay up to do your paperwork. When you refused to ever do your homework."
"That's different, Ma." Stan grumbled. "Keeping track of the finances and stuff is just…" He sighed. "That's-" He couldn't really think of what to say.
"I missed 13 years of your life." Kari whispered. "You and Stanford went through things I could never even imagine. And Sebastian still hasn't told me what happened to him when he…" She sniffed, pressing closer to her son. "And then Shermie was disowned- I- I missed ALL of your lives. All of you." Her shoulders trembled. "I missed so much…"
"Ma…that… that wasn't your fault…" Stan could feel his shirt getting wet. "Those were Pa's fault-"
"And I let it happen!" Kari sniffled. "I couldn't protect any of you. I lost ALL of you!" She didn't get to see Sebastian grow up. She thought Stan and Ford were DEAD for 13 years! She didn't get to see Sherman become a proper father! And she could never get those years back. She couldn't ever make it up to them. For being a bad mother-
Stan held his mother this time, feeling his eyes betraying him as they got wet, but he blinked that away. "It's ok, Ma...You-You said it yerself. Can't help lookin' back at this since we couldn't control it, don't you think?"
"Easier said than done, baby." Kari smiled a little at him before wiping her tears. "But I try, I really try...And, I guess we just...need to remind each other, to-to remember that we're together now. " Stan nodded and hugged her. "Sounds like a plan."
Both mom and son shared one last hug before Kari hummed. "You didn't bring champagne, did you?"
"I needed a moment to myself. Do you think I actually brought something?" Kari leaned on her sons' chest to start laughing out loud. Clever.
-.-
After Carla quickly made sure Stan was fine (she had scolded Dillon in private by dragging him into the kitchen. "Your father loves you, Dillon and you know it's not his fault he wasn't here. I'll whip your ass if you ever comment something like that again! You got it?!"), the middle triplet excused himself for being SO clumsy and forgetting the bottle on the counter of their house.
They finished lunch and Jerry joked that he'd bring the drink this time as he got a bottle from a cabinet. "Next time, it's on you."
"Sure thing!" Stan grinned.
Diego had tried climbing into his mom's lap after eating, he was so booored, but Carla told him to behave. Dad saw him and put him on his lap and kissed his forehead. That was yucky! Now he had his drool on him!
As all the adults were telling stories, Diego wanted to tell a story too so he started telling everyone the interesting stories he read at his preschool. Dillon was drooling over Phillip's shoulder where he was fake sleeping. "Well, you sure read a lot! That's very good!" Jerry praised the toddler who beamed happily.
"Yeah! They teach me a lot in my school! We do lots of things! We don't play too much, but we learn to read and the numbers too! And to add! I like multiplication but they don't teach that, Phillip teached me that! Daddy says my school is the best and I like it a lot!" Diego squirmed in his dad's lap who hugged and tickled him gently.
"Is he in a specialized school?" Sam cooed and Carla nodded. "Phillip made us realize he might need further education to help him develop his abilities." That made the ginger boy blush a little.
"It's a school for nerd babies. My brother would have killed for a school like that, or not, Ma?" Stan laughed and Kari nodded with a smile. "Stanford would have loved it as a little boy." He was always bored by the classes.
"I'm bored…" Diego complained again, leaning against his dad's broad chest. "Well, you brought your toys, go play with that" Stan told him.
"But I played with that already!"
"Oh! How about we find some of Phillip's old toys to give you, huh?" Sam offered to the curly haired boy who immediately jumped off his dad (making him wince a little as he crushed him), and started squealing. "Yeah! New toys!"
Phillip's eyes widened a little. Excuse me. Was his mom offering his toys away?! Dillon, now with his eyes open, grinned and kissed his agape mouth. "That's what it feels like to have siblings…" Stan bought Diego new toys, but Diego also got Dillon's old toys, and wanted to play with some of Dillon's current toys because it made Diego feel like a big boy, even though he didn't know how to use most of them.
After a few minutes of searching around Phillip's boxes, the toddler came back to the living room and dropped a bunch of Deyblades and Dakugans to the floor without. The. Proper. Care. It made both boys wince hard. Right in their childhood.
"M-Mom?" Phillip called his mom, worried Diego would mess with them. His mom only replied with a "Dear, it's Christmas. You have to share, baby Jesus would have shared. You haven't even played with them since you were 10." His mom waved it off as if it wasn't a big deal.
"How does it spins?" Diego pouted, not understanding. He picked one up and tried to spin it like a dreidel, (he played with those in his grandparents' home for Hanukkah!) but it just fell over.
This forced both teens to forget their cuddle time and kneel on the floor to play with Diego. Phillip didn't want his old toys to get broken and Dillon didn't want Phillip breaking up with him if Diego broke anything. So they had to find the board to set the Deyblade on, since it would be too dangerous otherwise. Diego squealed when the top spun. It was so cool!
Phillip and Diego got so in the game that they forgot they were playing with Diego, and the toddler ended up cheering their battles.
The adults shook their heads but left them be. Everything was picked up and they settled back with a glass of drink. Just enough to pass the time, and to still be legal to drive back home. Stan tried negotiating with Carla on who'd drive back, but he ended up losing and now she could have a few more drinks...Damn it.
Jerry put on some Christmas carols to create a festive environment, and they continued chatting and getting to know each other. At one point, Sam pulled out the photo album because what things would moms love more than to embarrass their kid in front of their partner's family?
"This is Phillip as a baby~~"
Phillip's head turned around almost 180 degrees and his eyes widened. "M-MOM?"
Why had he been so humiliated today?! Why?! He hated those photos and his parents knew it! This was supposed to be a perfect day to be with Dill-
"OH MY GOD, I WANNA SEE!" Dillon jumped from his spot to the couch everyone was sitting in. "Babyyyy!" He squealed. It was Phillip as a little baby, wrapped up in a blanket like a little taco, his ginger hair all stuck up like a candle as he stared off at something he was seeing with his big baby eyes. He was being carried, but Dillon didn't think it was either of his parents. He asked about that.
"Oh, that's-that's his baptism godfather…"
Phillip tried to ignore them speak as he played with Diego. The blush wasn't leaving, and on his pale skin, it was quite noticeable
There were a lot of photos of him as a baby, a LOT, even dressed up in costumes, like a bee or a dragon. Then even more of him as a toddler, playing on the swings or with some kids. "Are those his friends?" Dillon asked with a coo.
"No, cousins." Jerry told him. Phillip was eating some chocolate in the next photo and he got it all over himself. Dillon needed to see an actual recreation of that one…
Then there were a few holiday photos. Dillon could recognize Phillip and his parents, there were with a bunch of other red heads, so it was definitely family. "Ah, an old Christmas, Phillip fell asleep under the table and we couldn't find him."
Dillon glanced back at Phillip and giggled. He didn't have to be embarrassed ! He was adorable as a little child!
There were more photos of him as a child, and Carla was starting to wish she had brought Dillon's as well! There was one of an older looking Phillip, a young teen, on a hospital bed making a peace sign along with a black man dressed as a nurse. "He got into a stupid fight, remember son?" Jerry asked.
"Totally! Best fight ever!" Phillip bragged. Dillon snorted. He knew the reason about that fight, the struggle Phillip had felt about his sexuality led him to be angry with everyone for a while before he came to terms with himself.
After the Thanksgiving in that same year, the photos started stopping, and skipping some years. It was just the three of them.
Carla smiled a little. "I liked this one the most. Reminds me of a photo Dillon has with Seb, his, you could say godfather." She carefully went back a few pages and found it, Phillip of around 11 or 12, smiling widely as he hugged a blond man.
Sam winced, turning the page back. "I would love to see your own album." She said, effectively getting away from that particular photo. She had flipped past it before, but Carla had caught a glimpse and wanted to see it.
Dillon grinned. "Too bad, Mrs. Abbott! It's not here and I can't be embarrassed today!" Carla pouted, disappointed she couldn't share her oldest baby's moments too. Then, Dillon stood up and went over to his boyfriend, who was still playing with Diego, but looking kinda spacing out.
"Hey~ Why haven't you told me about your godfather? You look super close to him?"
"Well...We don't talk anymore, remember? We don't see our family anymore..." Phillip smiled at him, because he wasn't one to snap at someone when he was feeling sad or angry anymore (having mellowed out a lot as he got older, growing from the angry young teenager he'd been), unlike Dillon who did it most of the time when he was feeling that way (he was a firey person, got it from his parents).
Dillon sat down next to him and held his arm. "Yeah, I know you said that…But why haven't you told me before? I didn't know anything about your extended family…You know you can trust me, right?"
"I know, baby, I just didn't think it was important." Phillip kissed his lips to reassure him, but Dillon didn't look too sure.
"HEY! I just remembered~ Sebastian created an online folder for me to see Dillon's photos and videos! Hey Phillip, wanna see Dillon as a baby?" Stan called, pulling out his phone to search for the photos.
"Oh, yes please!" Phillip was all for changing the subject, and seeing his boyfriend's embarrassing baby photos.
"What?! DAD, NO!"
"DAD, YES!"
Dillon tried to wrestle the phone from Stan but the man laughed and easily held the device away from him. "Here's Dillon when he spilled baby food all over himself~ here's Dillon when he tried to fling himself off the swing set and nearly gave Carla a heart attack-"
"I still haven't gotten over that." Carla grumbled.
"AAWWW!" Phillip squealed. The photos were in disorder so from toddler Dillon it suddenly changed back to a little infant Dillon held in Carla's arms as he drank his milk.
"AAAHHH!" Dillon shrieked, completely embarrassed as everyone laughed and cooed.
More pictures of baby him eventually changed to a slightly older him in less embarrassing situations. "This is Dillon during Halloween!" Stan explained as he pointed at the little boy dressed as Batman.
Sam frowned confused as she stared at a man that looked a lot like Stanley but with an eyepatch. "Um...that's…"
"Oh, that's one of my triplets, Sebastian. He watched over him, he's like Dillon's godfather." Stan explained with a small smile. He noticed that the Abbots all stiffened a little at that.
"The best~" Dillon called from his spot where he was covering his face. Diego climbed to the couch and gasped. "Uncle Seb!" He looked so young here! "This is Dillon?"
"Yes, sweetie. He's your age here." Carla kissed his chubby cheek. Diego looked so confused. But Dillon was big! It was so weird to see his big brother...like a kid. It was so wrong!
Phillip turned back to look at the pictures in the phone. More photos of Dillon and his family, some videos of him playing or throwing a funny tantrum, and more of his cute boyfriend getting along with his cool uncle.
An uncle that truly loved him.
Phillip stretched and squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'll be taking my toys back to my room before-before your brother takes them home…" He joked and went to his room, just carrying two Dakugan decks.
Dillon frowned in confusion and followed him. He didn't need to see his photos anyway. Phillip was acting a little weird.
He followed his boyfriend back to his room, grateful that Diego wasn't following him for once, and found Phillip on his bed with his face buried in his pillow. "Phillip? Are you okay?"
Phillip breathed into his pillow, face hidden, but Dillon could hear how shaky his breaths were. "I-it's nothing." The ginger said, even though it was clearly not nothing. Dillon slowly made his way towards the bed and after a bit of hesitation, climbed on. "What's wrong? Was it something we did? I know I was complaining about my baby pictures, which is unfair 'cause I was really enjoying yours and-"
"That's not it." Phillip managed to chuckle, finally lifting his head out from the pillow and wiping at his eyes. "All this just… reminded me of when I was younger. And… all the other Christmases I used to spend with my uncle." He hugged the pillow, expression strained. "I loved my uncle. He was the best. We used to play whenever my parents were busy with work, which was pretty often. So he babysat me a lot growing up."
Dillon carefully placed an arm around him and Phillip leaned against him. "But then… I came out to my family that I was gay. And… well…" he grimaced. "Uncle Frankie didn't take it well." None of his aunts and uncles or grandparents did. Only his mom and dad were okay with it.
"He actually reacted...very bad...I could say he took the news the worst...And, of course, his-his rejection hurt me the most…" Phillip sniffled and took a deep breathe so he wouldn't start crying. He was already tearing up but he really didn't want to cry during Christmas of all times.
"At first, he stopped calling me to play or hang out, and just told me he was busy when I called him, then he stopped picking up...One day when I saw him, he didn't want me to hug him and he just told me to stay away from him because...well, he thought I was disgusting and sick…" The ginger boy used his boyfriend's shoulder to wipe his tears. "That day I kept insisting and well, he slapped me...And no one had ever hit me before, not even my parents...And like an idiot I-I kept apologizing to him!"
Dillon stared at him, looking horrified. "What...What?!" How dare that bastard! Phillip had loved him! And he betrayed him like-
"Why didn't you tell your parents?!"
"Uncle Frankie is mom's brother, I-I guess I didn't want to make them upset...They themselves were still processing that I was gay...Maybe I could have made things worse, who knows?" Phillip sighed.
"Because I was an idiot, I-I didn't want to lose him, you know? I-I was REALLY close to him, and-and it really, really hurt me...that-that he didn't want me anymore...I kept apologizing to him, begging him to talk to me again and that he was still my godfather...all I got for my trouble was a few punches..."
" Can't you fucking understand, freak?! I don't want to have ANYTHING to do with you ever again! For me, it's as if you didn't exist! I'm not the godfather of a fag!"
Dillon hadn't realized the luck he'd had. His family had totally accepted him for how he was, even Granny who took a little longer, now fully accepted it (and even when she hadn't, she'd never stopped loving him)...And Phillip...his sweet baby, had been shut down by everyone in his family, especially the uncle he loved the most...If uncle Seb had done that to him...Dillon didn't know what he'd have done…
"Well-" Phillip sniffed and gave his boyfriend a small smile. "Then I didn't have to see him again, my mom and dad got fed up at their family's comments about me, they weren't very subtle about it and just told everyone to never contact them again...Mom never found out about him hitting me though…" Phillip absent-mindedly took a hand to his cheek, remembering that bad memory. Dillon wrapped his arms fully around him.
"I wanna beat up your uncle." Dillon huffed, blinking away the stinging in his eyes. Phillip grinned and reached up to kiss his pursed lips. "Dude, it's ok...I haven't seen him since I was like 14 or 15...The memory just hurt me a little."'
"That makes it worse!" Dillon pouted. Phillip shrugged, nuzzling into Dillon's chest. He was still growing, Phillip wondered if Dillon would end up as big as Stan, it would be nice, being cuddled by him if he did. "I like your family. Your uncles are cool. Well, I haven't met them too much, just talked to them a little in your parent's wedding, but from what you've told me, they're all cool." Phillip sighed. "I'm a little jealous."
Dillon managed to grin a little. "We can share them if you want~ And~ If you marry me, they'd be officially your uncles too."
Phillip laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Is this a smooth way to propose to me~?" Dillon leaned his face closer to his and kissed his lips. "Maybe~"
Dillon hadn't seen Phillip so sad before. It was utterly horrifying to see how his boyfriend, who was usually so optimistic and calm, with his beautiful light hazel eyes so red and puffy. No. Never. He didn't want to see that sight ever again. He'd make sure of it!
Their kiss got a little more passionate and roaming hands started exploring each other's bodies. Dillon knew a few things that his boyfriend enjoyed~ Phillip pulled him closer to him, thighs rubbing against each other. It seemed to work~
The door was suddenly pushed open, and both jumped away from each other, as if burnt. Diego was there, as always, breaking their heated moments, and he yawned. "Dion, I'm sleepy…I wanna sleep here."
Dillon's lips pressed tightly into a thin line of displeasure at this interruption while Phillip burst out laughing.
-.-
While the boys were having their heart to heart, Carla had picked up on the tension. She was sending Stan looks and he nodded back subtly. "Hey Jerry, I'm kinda curious about your stash. Can I check it out?" Jerry was all for showing off, for fun. So he and Stan walked off to the cellar where Jerry had his wine collection. Once the men were gone, Carla turned to Sam. "Are you alright? You seem… upset. Did we do something? I-I noticed Phillip left, I hope we didn't offend you or him in some way" Carla pre apologized, much like Dillon did with Phillip.
Sam shook her head. "I'm very upset, but not because of you, dear...It's just...urgh!" She growled and Carla and Kari shared a look.
"It's that stupid photo...I-I am so pissed at that stupid asshole!...Sorry for my language." Sam apologized, blushing slightly for cursing on Christmas! But she couldn't help it.
"Is this...about you being distant with your family?" Carla asked tentatively to which Sam responded " Distant is a very generous term. I removed myself from their lives and I cut them from ours. I hit them with a metaphorical baseball bat very, very far away!" She fumed.
"Carla, how...how did you react when Dillon came out to you? Or-Or he didn't? And-how-how did your family reacted to Dillon being gay?" Sam hadn't had much help herself, hadn't really talked about it. She was a psychologist, she knew her son wasn't sick or perverted like some people liked to claim, and she didn't like how her previous church used to tell her that… Now here was Carla, a mom like her, with a gay kid, she could ask how the other woman took the news.
Carla blinked. "Oh well...Um...Of course it was something...I won't say I expected it? Because I didn't, sure, Dillon never liked a girl at school before and that sounded weird to me since Stan is his dad and he's the biggest flirt I know, but maybe he was different...Also, a co-worker at the theatre had an incredibly accurate gaydar and he told me Dillon was gay. I didn't pay that much attention, Dillon was like 12 at the time, so…" Carla rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, but Sam was listening attentively, nervously playing with a strand of blond hair.
"Stan's brothers are...very pro...not ordinary things…" Carla grimaced, trying to explain, and Kari couldn't help but grin. "They took it very well, Sebastian is actually pan, from what I managed to understand from his ramble, and Stanford is a scientist and he didn't think being gay even made his top 10 weirdest things he had seen...I guess thats good? And Shermie, well, Shermie is ok with whatever his big brothers are ok with. Though, also, he's just a very sweet man. Kind." (Except in politics, the bastard went crazy then). Carla looked at Kari for confirmation and she nodded. That was very true. She was so proud of all her sons.
"And...your family?" Sam asked, having noticed that Carla hadn't mentioned her own extended family yet. Carla shrugged. "They don't really like it, but they're willing to just… ignore it? Pretend it isn't a thing?" Carla rolled her eyes. "I'm not all that close with most of my cousins. So it's not a big deal, not seeing them or speaking to them. They're… pretty conservative." She shrugged. "Luckily, my parents are okay with it now. It's a little awkward, but they're trying their best to be supportive."
Sam nodded with her gaze down and it took the two Pines women a second to understand why Sam was asking this. "Your family...Your family didn't take Phillip being gay very well, did they?" Kari whispered.
Sam broke down into tears but managed to keep it together to just let out a tiny sniffle. "No...Not at all...My-My Philly didn't have the luck to have such a supportive family…" Her and Jerry's family, everyone, with the exception of one or two cousins, completely shut off from Phillip's life, and if they didn't, they only came to their house to very passive-aggressively insult him.
"Phillip came out at the beginning of October to Jerry's family, he was very confident about himself and proud, it-it took him a lot to come in contact with himself and his true feelings...before Thanksgiving...after it didn't go too well with Jerry's family, he was a little more hesitant with my family, but he had been hoping his godfather, my goddamn BROTHER would be there for him...For that Christmas barely anyone came when we invited them...Frank didn't come...He refused to...Philly only knew he was traveling."
She had called her stupid brother, ordered him to come for Christmas because his little nephew would be waiting for him to come. "Frankie please...I know you are shocked, but don't make him feel like you hate him, I know you don't...He's just a child."
"I don't hate him, he disgusts me. And he's not a child if he has so confidently told everyone how he wants to be fucked in the ass."
That single comment broke Sam's heart.
"Oh my god, tha-that's awful, I-I'm so sorry…" Carla had no idea what else to say. "I'd would have punched someone if they said that about my boy".
Sam nodded with a sad smile. "I did, actually. There was this cousin of mine that was always saying shit about gay people, then she said something about Philly and Jerry had to pull me off her as I was pulling at her hair…" Sam said, kind of embarrassed for such behavior but knowing full well she'd do it again.
Carla nodded in appreciation. "Nice!" She would have done the same! Kari smiled at her, admiring the blonde woman for her bravery.
Sam sighed and rested a cheek on a fist. "Yeah...Worse thing is though, that Frankie didn't only ignore Phillip, he hit him a few times." Sam's free fist clenched tightly as the other women gasped.
"Phillip thinks I don't know, he only thinks Jerry and I finally got tired of our family... but I know Frankie hit him…" She remembered seeing him the last time that bastard hurt her baby. It was in her OWN house! How dare he?!
"I threatened to sue him if he ever contacted me again, and I asked for a restriction order just in case he ever tried anything! Fuck him! If he ever goes near my baby again I'll tear his balls off!" Sam seethed.
Carla reached for her and wrapped her arms around her, that was the only thing she could think of to do, giving support. "I know we don't know each other that well yet...but you can ALWAYS count on our family for anything you need...We love Phillip a lot, he's a very gentle boy, Dillon loves him and Diego adores him." Carla smiled. "And, well, from how things have been going between our boys, chances are we're gonna be In-Laws at some point. I'd… I'd like us to be friends as well."
Sam blinked at the other woman. "Really? Well, like, I'm not against the idea but what exactly do you mean?"
"I dunno. But I can give you my number, we can chat if you want. Hang out when we have free time? Be there to talk if anything happens? Maybe even organize some more family meetings" Carla shrugged with a smile. Sam laughed. "That sounds pretty good actually. Thanks, Carla." The brunette woman smiled as well. She really meant it, not because the boys were, in her mind, gonna get married at some point, but because she actually liked Sam, she was really nice, and whether they liked it or not, they shared the experience of having gay babies, and it was always nice to have someone to share your thoughts with.
"Do you think Stanley is getting along with Jerry?" Sam asked, addressing both women. "Jerry is a little bit grumpy when he wants to be and seems serious most of the time, Stan seems much more relaxed?" Sam asked, genuinely worried that their husbands wouldn't get along as well.
Carla and Kari snorted with laughter at the same time. "Oh, don't worry, Stan can be grumpy when he wants to be as well." His mother explained calmly. "Frankly, I'm sure they'll get along just fine."
-.-
Jerry showed off his stash of beautiful wines that he collected throughout the years, it included other types of alcoholic drinks, but he liked wine the most. Stan crossed his arms with apparent attention, but he was waiting for the moment to tell Jerry about HIS stash.
"Well, that's very impressive I must say, but you should take a look at mine." Stan shrugged. Jerry raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" Stan hid his grin, trying to look nonchalant as he bragged. "I own a few floors of my apartment building. So one of the floors is dedicated to being a wine cellar."
Jerry couldn't help but gape at this new information. Wha-What?! Was that even possible?! He quickly regained his composure though. "Oh well, I forgot to mention though, a great uncle owned a vineyard. I used to accompany him a lot before he died. He never had kids but it really surprised me that one day after he passed away, his lawyer told me that I was given over half the shares for the vineyard. I can sit in on decisions with the other shareholders and I get a cut of the profit from wine sales".
Jerry buffed his nails against his shirt. "So~I get my own bottled wines for free from the vineyard after every harvest season. I can even get specialty ones in different flavors."
Stanley hid his tight fists in his pants and grinned. "Well, I was not expecting that information."
Jerry shrugged. "Well, I don't like to brag or anything~But still, it's not like having one floor dedicated to wine."
"hAH! I'd trade that one for owning a vineyard." Stan said sincerely. Come on, Pines! You gotta think in something awesome as well! "But still, this is not a competition, right?"
"No! Of course not!" Jerry grinned and he poured him one of the bottles in a glass. While they were drinking, Stan finally spoke up. "What do you think of beach houses?" He tried. Carla had been a pain in the ass about that specific thing and he had said no for various reasons (money), but if it got him some points ABOVE JERRY-!
"I've got a small one over in New Hampshire. It's not exactly a beach house, but there's a large lake, a forest… a little cabin that we go to when we want to have a quiet vacation…"
Stan nodded in understanding. "Oh well, Carla and I were thinking of getting a beach house, she'd told me there are nice condos and that it'd be good for Diego, you know?"
"Yeah, you should!" Jerry encouraged. "It's great to have a place you can just go to relax, you know? And the beach and lake has stuff to keep the kids distracted. We took Phillip there a lot so he'd stop being so annoying back when he was younger. Nothing helps a preteen work off energy like swimming around a lake." He loved his son, but Phillip was insufferable as a kid, nothing like the mellow young man he was now.
Stan thought about it. With what Sebastian told him about Dipper and Mabel when they were 12, he suddenly worried for how active Diego might get once he was a preteen. Having a place where they could just… go, would be nice. Heck, Stan remembered all the fun he and his brothers had along the beach as kids. It… it might be fun… to go back to that.
"I'll think about it." Stan nodded at Jerry. "Do ya smoke?"
Jerry thought about it. "I can take one, but we have to go out to the balcony." He grabbed the bottle and Stan took the glasses. They made their way out of the cellar and towards the balcony. Before they could leave though, he felt a little hand tugging at his pants. "Daddy."
Oh right. Diego existed . He thought the kid was with Carla like he should be!
"I'm sleepy." Diego whined, leaning against Stan's leg.
"Aw, well, you see that couch over there? Go sleep there." Stan shooed him, but Jerry laughed. "Go to Phillip's room, Diego, you can nap there."
"Ok…" The small toddler yawned and made his way to his brothers' boyfriend room. The adults continued on their way to the balcony. "It's getting dark out." Stan noted as he tapped on the box to get a smoke out. "It's winter, it's supposed to get darker, quicker." Jerry shrugged, accepting the offered cig.
"Hm." Stan grunted. He was right. "Don't tell Carla. She hates it when I smoke." Jerry nodded. "I won't tell if you don't tell." He managed a small smile.
"Ah, wive's domination…" Stan sighed as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "Learnt to do this in highschool. My triplets hated it too. I didn't do it much before, but I got more into it after my brother and I, you know, disappeared and all that." And hell, some of the drugs out in space were WILD.
Jerry frowned a bit. "I'm sure...old habits die hard." He inhaled his cig. "Weren't you a doctor?" "That's exactly why."
After a bit of silence, Jerry felt a little awkward. "I'm sorry you went through that, it must have been hard all those years." Everyone heard the news about the Pines brothers being kidnapped and imprisoned for many years, escaping and being on the run for a long time.
"It was hard as hell...but hey, we made it, got some cool scars, and I'm with my sons now…" Looking at the present, not the past. Jerry patted his shoulder and smiled, the chilly wind making his slightly graying red hair blow around wildly.
"Your son grew up fine, I approve of him, Phillip chose a good partner." Jerry gave him a teasing grin. "But he better keep his hands to himself."
"Hah! Gay or not his good tastes come from me~ And I can say the same 'bout your Philly boy!" Both laughed and clicked their glasses, completely oblivious that the young couple had left Diego sleeping on the bed and they were making out in the guest room instead.
Stan leaned back on the balcony. It's been years since he came back, and sometimes… it still felt weird to be home. When he looked up at the night sky and saw the same sky, when he'd gotten used to seeing a different sky every time. All those places he'd gone. All the people he met, friends, enemies, all sorts of aliens…
He kinda missed the adventure, sometimes.
He spaced out and wondered if Ford missed it too. He doubted it, Ford spent most of that time screaming with nightmares, sure he learnt a lot and he loved that (nerd), but he was sure Ford was happier in the Center.
"How is like being jewish?" Jerry asked out of the blue, bringing him back. Stan crushed his cig. "Eh, I don't know, we aren't overly religious and all that shit." Who would after seeing what they saw?
"If the boys get married, would it have a jewish style or a catholic one?" Jerry wondered.
Stan choked on the fresh smoke of his second cig. He hit his chest a few times. "Kinda early to think about that, isn't it?!" He wheezed. The idea of his baby getting married… having to give Dillon away to some guy- Stan wasn't ready for that.
Jerry snorted. "Well, I doubt they're gonna tie the knot so soon. They're still in school after all. And Philly plans to get his masters and doctorate. So we've got plenty of time before those two settle down together." Jerry wasn't sure how to feel about it yet either. He did enjoy Stan's company, which was good, if they were going to be family someday. Well, whatever happened would happen. As long as his son was happy and safe, that was all that really mattered in the end.
But now changing subject~
"Dillon just finished high school, what is he going to study?" Jerry asked.
Stan froze and thought about it. "Eh...I...don't know? He's taking a year off...I don't know if he knows yet." Stan didn't mind Dillon taking a year off, heck, Sebastian didn't go to college for years and years but he was doing great for himself, so obviously you didn't need to go to college immediately. And if Dillon wanted a year to 'find himself' as the kids said these days, Stan was fine with that.
"Well~ Phillip has known since he was young that he wanted to be a doctor~ I guess he took it from me." The bragging started again. It seemed their friendship would consist of that.
Stan pursed his lips. "Well, I'm sure Dillon would want to join in with my business!" Stan exclaimed. That only made Jerry grin wider.
"It's ok~ He doesn't need to know yet anyway, I'm sure he'll find something he likes, it's the most important thing." Jerry reassured him. Stan privately thought that making a profit was the most important thing, but he kept quiet for now. "Well, I don't mind Dillon relying on me for now, but…" He felt odd to say this, "...I know he's gonna move out eventually. And… I don't know, I don't feel like I'm ready for that."
Jerry smiled at him kindly. "I don't think anyone is ready for that...Sam cried when Phillip graduated high school, thinking he was going to leave to some far away school. Luckily he is studying here in NY, so we have his adorable presence every day." Jerry chuckled. "But we charge him a liiiiittle bit of rent. It's mainly just chores, but sometimes he helps pay for the internet bill." Jerry shrugged. "He has a part time job after all."
Stan blinked. Neither him or Carla were thinking of doing that...He grinned. But it sounded like a GREAT idea! Getting paid by his kid! He started laughing and Jerry got a little worried.
In another room, Dillon pulled away from Phillip's lips and gazed off into the distance. "I sense a disturbance…" He said solemnly. He held that for a few seconds before shrugging and going back to making out with his boyfriend, he had slipped his hands into Phillip's shirt and was quite enjoying himself. Phillip was holding his face up so they could kiss better and their bodies were pressed close to each other.
Leaving Diego in an unfamiliar room to go make out was the best idea they've had!
And the best part was this room had a lock so they wouldn't be interrupted! Dillon moaned softly at the way Phillip's hands were caressing his chest. He threw his shirt off, so his very freckled chest was exposed and he could feel Phillip's hands better. Things were going to get saucier, but there was a knocking on the door and Dillon heard his mom calling out, "Hey~ It's gonna be time for dinner soon. Are you two decent?"
The boys broke apart. "MOM!" Dillon screamed.
There were some snickers behind the door. Phillip awkwardly fixed his disheveled hair and ran a hand over his shirt and pants as Dillon grumpily stood up to get his shirt.
"You're lucky your father's not here right now~" Sam sing-songed through the door. Phillip wailed this time, "Moooom!"
They heard both their moms laughing before their footsteps went down the hall.
They pouted, sad that they were still interrupted. Maybe if they hadn't spent so much time with Diego they could have done more things...alone.
Sam turned to look at Carla as they headed towards the kitchen. "Jerry and Stanley would get heart attacks if they knew."
"Definitely!"
The boys came out, looking pissed and their moms each kissed their cheeks like the babies they were.
At some point, Diego woke up from his nap and had more energy to annoy his brother endlessly. Dillon seriously considering giving him to Mabel, as she loved him so much.
Dinner was less awkward than lunch, as the parents got to have moments to really talk to each other. It was more animated in general. There was a comfortable sort of camaraderie as they passed the plates and bowls around so everyone could serve themselves. Diego chattered on and on about the fun activity books Phillip made for him, so much better than the boring workbooks at preschool.
Little Diego loved the attention, like any good Pines, so of course he loved it when Sam and Jerry congratulated him.
Suddenly, Sam gasped. "Oh my god, I totally forgot about the presents!" Carla gasped and looked at Kari. "Right! We also brought presents!" (Though Stan had complained about doing so.) Each boy had told their boyfriend what things their parents might like, so the presents would be nice for everyone and not super generic.
Phillip grinned warmly as Diego gasped when he was told he was getting a present. Phillip pointed at the tree and the toddler flew towards it to find his present. "This one?!"
"Yup! Open it, bud!"
Diego tore the paper like a savage and gasped. MORE BOOKS! YES!
"What do you say, Diego?" Kari reminded him. She failed with Stan, she could try with Diego.
"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Phillip's parents!" Diego told them all sincerely.
Dillon gave Sam their present while Phillip gave Carla and Kari. Both received loud kisses on their cheeks. Jerry happily handed Stan his own gift and Stan grumpily gave him the present Carla made him buy in return. Phillip started taking some photos because he couldn't believe they haven't taken photos earlier!
Diego had climbed onto the couch with his mommy and began showing her the books he got, the little boy was beaming with excitement. Stan hummed and confirmed his beliefs of Diego being a complete baby nerd. Why was he more like Ford?! Ford better have kids like him someday to compensate this robbery.
Before it got even later and their parents decided it was time to finish the day with goodbye hugs and pats, the boys disappeared but quickly came back dressed in some blue and red Christmas sweaters. "What are you even doing?" Jerry asked.
"Oh, well... we wanted a cliche photo of Christmas wearing sweaters while kissing under the mistletoe!" Phillip showed the little plant he planned to tape somewhere. "Would you help us?" This was why they planned this whole thing. They wanted their photo together!
Sam laughed but helped her baby boy when he gave her pleading eyes. The mistletoe's string was taped to the ceiling so it would hang dramatically above the boys. "Ok~ On the count of three, sweetie. One~ Two~ and Three~"
Phillip and Dillon smiled at each other before softly leaning towards each other and kissing their lips. It was all very gentle and sweet, unlike their making out session in the guest room, that was more passionate and desperate.
The photo was taken.
Dillon loved it. Phillip played around with some settings to enhance the photo before posting it on his social media.
"Thanks babe." Phillip leaned his head against Dillon. "This was a pretty nice Christmas." He kissed his cheek tenderly and held his hands.
"It was the best Christmas I've ever had...We should repeat it next year, huh?" Dillon grinned and pecked his lips again.
"I'd love to repeat this...Maybe it can begin earlier...invite your family so Diego is entertained and we have more time~?" Phillip whispered and now HE pecked his lips.
Stan and Jerry's eyes twitched at the obvious flirting.
"I'd love to have more alone time with you…" The gay boys kissed once again and they shrieked when they were violently pulled away from each other.
While Jerry held Phillip by the collar of his sweater, Stan threw Dillon over his shoulder, his head facing back, and the man laughed loudly. "Well, look at the hour! We gotta go now! Good bye! A pleasure to meet you all!" He waved at everyone and trotted towards the door with Dillon being carried away.
The women laughed loudly as Diego frowned, not understanding what was going on.
Dillon lovingly waved at his boyfriend and the ginger boy smiled and waved back.
This was a great Christmas, he wouldn't mind celebrating it again next year.