This is my Christmas story. It's only a couple weeks late. So, yeah, honestly I have no idea if same sex marriages are still legal in California, so in here they aren't, but hey, my world, my rules.

Christmas

Adam blinked his eyes open, confused. He was normally a sound sleeper and waking up in the middle of the night was unusual, especially, he turned to the clock, at 3 a.m.

He was rubbing his eyes when the reason for discomfort became apparent. The silence. Which meant Rocky wasn't in the room.

Rocky wasn't a quiet sleeper. He grunted, snored, sniffed, and groaned. Adam had never heard such a racket in his life. It had driven him crazy in the beginning of their relationship. The first six months he'd used earplugs or gone to sleep first. He'd gotten used to it, so used it to that he missed it when Rocky was gone.

He crawled off their bed, grabbing his pillow on the way. His man may have been out of bed, but he knew where he was.

He could see the Christmas lights glowing from the top of the stairs. He went to the living room and sure enough, Rocky was on the floor, eyes half shut, just looking.

"Hey, babe," he whispered.

Rocky's mouth curved. He didn't speak, but his raising the blanket covering him was an invitation.

Adam settled next to him, spooning around Rocky, who moved to accommodate him. His hand settled on Rocky's stomach and he brushed his lips against Rocky's nape. They laid there, wrapped in silence and limbs tangled together comfortably. Rocky covered the hand on his stomach, fingers linking, and the clink of their rings was comforting in the silence. Adam squeezed Rocky's fingers. Since they'd been married, their fingers had tangled countless time because Rocky enjoyed the noise the rings made together.

"Do you remember the first time we looked at a tree together?"

Adam thought for a moment. "The year my grandma broke her hip. It was Christmas Eve and my parents dropped me off at your house."

"Yeah, we were fourteen."

"I woke up in your room alone and came looking for you. I found you on the couch looking at the tree, so I got on the floor next to the couch and we spent all night there. Rosa was so mad, because they wouldn't put the presents out with us there." He laughed quietly. "That was the year I knew my feelings toward you were more than what I felt toward Aisha. It started when we watched the lights and cemented on Christmas morning, when you insisted that I take some of your presents and wouldn't take that chemistry set back that you had wanted so much."

Rocky rolled over and kissed Adam gently. "I told you I couldn't sleep because I was excited Christmas was here, but really it was because I was nervous. Nervous because I was learning things about myself that I thought was wrong. You had come over, struggling so hard not to cry. We went to my room and you were lying on my bed. And I looked at you and I could imagine wrapping my arms around you and not letting go and I felt dirty. After you went to sleep, I went downstairs to look at the lights. Mama came in and we talked about what I was feeling and she said that it was okay." He brushed his fingers against Adam's cheek, smiling when he saw the sheen of his tears in his husband's eyes. "That's the look right there. It always makes me feel."

Adam snorted. "I'm so glad to help," he said dryly.

Rocky faced the lights. He loved looking at Adam, but the lights were only up for a month compared to the lifetime of watching Adam. But…he grabbed Adam and pulled him over him so Adam was between him and the tree.

"What was that?" Adam asked after he stopped laughing.

"I want to see you and the tree."

Adam kissed Rocky's fingers. "If you keep being sweet like this, I probably will cry."

He smiled. "Can't have that today, huh? Our first should be good."

He cocked his head, smiling when he found Adam had fallen asleep. Their first year of marriage had definitely been a good one. Adam had confessed once that he'd already felt married to Rocky and they'd had their own private wedding on Christmas. Until they could be legally married in California or they made it somewhere where they could, Christmas was their anniversary.

"Happy anniversary, baby," he whispered before going to sleep himself.