"Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!"
"Eve."
Mikey looked up at Connor. "Same thing!"
"Sure it is," Connor said.
Mikey grinned at him and danced in a circle around the kitchen again, resuming his excited chant. Connor shook his head and went back to mixing up the sauce for the pasta salad that he and Jude always took to Stef's and Lena's potluck Christmas Day dinners. The front door opened and Mikey took off.
"Father!"
"He's only been gone for twenty minutes," Connor called after him, but Mikey wasn't listening.
"T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS!" Mikey boomed.
"It is the night before Christmas," Jude agreed.
"And then there was something about a mouse!" Mikey said.
"Yep. We'll read that story tonight before bed," Jude promised.
"And sugar plums! I remember sugar plums in the story!"
"There were sugar plums in the story," Jude confirmed.
He entered the kitchen, Mikey trailing behind him, and he rested his grocery bag on the counter next to Connor.
"I can't believe we were out of peas," Jude grumbled.
"Start a pot boiling, we need them soon."
"I know, I know."
"Are sugar plums real?" Mikey asked. "And can I sit on the counter?"
Jude picked him up and sat him on the counter, away from the stove.
"Sugar plums are real," Connor said. He dipped a spoon into his sauce and put it to Jude's mouth. "How does that taste?"
"Eh. Are you missing something? Usually it's got a little bit of spice to it."
Connor turned back to the recipe book and Jude sat the pot on the stove, turning the burner all the way up. Mikey kicked the cupboards loudly.
"Careful, careful," Connor warned.
"Sorry, Dad," Mikey said, and he kicked a little softer. "What are sugar plums anyway?"
"They're plums covered in sugar," Connor said.
"Aren't they candy?" Jude corrected.
"No, I don't think so," Connor said, stirring the sauce again. He realized that he'd forgotten about half the spices. Where had his head been? "Anyway, why would it make sense to call anything else sugar plums?"
"I just think they're candy," Jude repeated.
"Look it up!" Mikey recommended. "Can I have a cookie?"
"Just one, we're getting close to dinner," Jude said.
Mikey opened the cookie container next to him and picked up one of Connor's Christmas cookies. He chewed on it messily. Connor glanced over at Jude, who was staring at his phone. He put some more sauce on the end of his spoon and raised it to Jude's lips. Jude tasted it.
"That tastes perfect," Jude said. "And, I was right! It is candy!"
"What? Really?"
"Yep. It's a hard, sugar candy," Jude said, turning his phone around to face Connor.
"Hmm."
"Well," Mikey said, "What would be the point of putting sugar on fruit? It would ruin the sugar!"
"Fruit already has sugar in it," Connor told him. "That's why it's so sweet."
"Oh." Mikey said.
"Mikey," Jude said.
Connor turned to look at his son. He was just sitting innocently on the counter between the coffee maker and the cookie box. His half-eaten cookie was clutched in his hand. Mike knocked his feet against the counter as Jude leant against the counter next to him.
"What did I say?"
"One cookie," Mikey whispered.
"How many have you had?"
"Two cookies."
"And the one in your hand?"
"…Two and a half cookies," Mikey corrected himself. He put the cookie he'd been working on in Jude's hand. "But they're good! And it's Christmas!"
Jude shook his head and laughed. "But don't you want to be able to eat dinner too?"
"Well, yeah," Mikey admitted.
"Maybe sometime before bed, you can have another one."
"But what about that one?" Mikey pointed at the one in Jude's hand.
"Dad and I will finish it. Is that okay?"
Mikey nodded. "That seems fair. That way we all get some cookies!"
Jude smiled and he snapped what was left of Mikey's cookie in half. He lifted the second half up to Connor's mouth and Connor took the bite.
"I still think I put too much sugar in those," he lamented.
"Shut up, they're perfect," Jude instructed.
"Thanks," Connor said.
Jude fed Connor the last of his bite, and then ate his bit. He turned back to Mikey and said, "Well, do you want to help me with dinner?"
"Yes!"
Mikey hurled himself off the counter before Connor could warn him to be careful. He landed okay, and didn't even hit himself off anything. He bounced over to Jude, asking, "What do we need to do?"
"Well, we need to peel some veggies. Ready?"
"Ready!"
Jude set Mikey up with the carrots while he took care of the potatoes. Halfway through, Connor had to lift the peas off the stove. He poured the water out, and then added them to the salad for tomorrow. He took a wooden spoon and mixed the large bowl; throughout the years, they had learnt that the recipe needed to be tripled from its original measurements in order to feed the ever-growing Adams-Foster clan. Once he was satisfied the salad was all right, he put it in the fridge.
"What can I do for dinner?"
"Maybe you can start cutting up Mikey's peeled carrots?" Jude suggested. "We need to get things boiling if we want it to be done at the same time as the ham."
"Sure," Connor agreed.
In no time at all, it seemed, Jude was adding onion to the mashed potatoes and Connor was lifting the brown sugar carrots off the stove. Mikey skipped away from the oven as Connor opened it and slid a meat thermometer into the ham.
"It looks good!" Connor announced.
"Yes! I'm so hungry!"
Jude laughed. "Well, we still need to cut it up. Will you go put forks and knives on the table, please?"
"Yep!" Mikey opened the drawer and counted the silverware aloud.
Connor carved the ham and Jude dished the vegetables onto their plates. Mikey went back and forth from the kitchen and the dining room twice more; once with butter and once with the salt and pepper shakers. He came back and took his plate from Jude's hands, and Connor and Jude followed him this time. They took their usual spots around the little table, although, tonight, it had been done up special for Christmas. There were thick cloth Christmas tree placemats for each place. In the centre of the table there was a gold candlestick holder with three tall red candles in them. The candles were unlit, and Connor returned to the kitchen to grab the barbeque lighter out of the junk drawer.
"Can I light one?" Mikey asked.
Connor hesitated.
"You need to be really careful," Jude emphasized. "You know how dangerous fire can be."
Mikey nodded. He left his seat and went to stand by Connor. Connor carefully instructed him on how to use the barbeque lighter. Slowly, his hands slightly shaky, Mikey put the flaming end of the black metal to the candle wick. In a moment, the flame caught. He dropped the barbeque lighter on the table.
"I did it!"
"Whoa," Connor said. "This is what we meant by being careful. You can't just drop that."
Looking a little panicked, Mikey snatched the barbeque lighter up into his hands.
"I didn't do anything, did I?"
"No," Connor assured him. "But it might not always go so well. That's why you need to be careful with things like that."
"I'm sorry," Mikey apologized. "I'll do better next time!"
"I'm sure you will," Connor said. "Why don't you light the last one, Jude?"
"Sure." Jude took the lighter and lit the last candle, and then they settled in to eat.
"Can we watch a movie when we're done?" Mikey asked.
"Of course. What we you thinking?"
"Grinch!" Mikey said. "I like the Grinch! He has a dog named Max! But I wouldn't name my dog Max."
"What would you name a dog?" Jude asked.
"I don't know," Mikey said. "But not Max."
"What about Daisy?" Connor asked.
"Daisy is for yellow dogs."
"Sam?" Jude suggested.
"Sam is for cats."
"You have some strict rules for naming," Connor pointed out.
"It has to be perfect," Mikey stressed. "How did you pick my name? Or did my birth parents pick my name?"
"We picked it," Jude said. "We liked a lot of names."
"But we didn't like a lot of the same names," Connor added. "That list was very short."
"Michael was our favourite. So, we went with Michael."
"What about my middle name?" Mikey asked. Connor heard a thump as he kicked his chair leg.
"We thought, a lot, about giving you one of our names as a middle name," Jude confessed, "but then we couldn't decide which to give you."
"Do you remember Grandpa Adam?" Connor asked.
Mikey made an uneasy face. "Kind of. He always had donuts when we visited."
Connor shouldn't have been surprised. Adam had passed away from a heart attack shortly after Mikey turned five. The more time that passed, the less that Mikey would recall about him. It was a sad thought, especially since Adam hadn't been a huge presence in Mikey's life. He'd visit them about once a month and would be present for every holiday, but he wasn't approachable and lovable like Stef and Lena had always been. Adam had tried to get Mikey into baseball, but the little boy hadn't taken to it. However, Connor recalled, Adam had also been the person who had bought Mikey his first soccer ball.
"Well, his grandfather's name was Gideon. And Grandpa Adam loved his grandfather very much, so we gave you Gideon as a middle name after your great-great grandfather," Connor explained.
"Wow. Great-great grandfather sounds old."
Connor laughed. "Well, he was alive a long time ago."
"I don't want my puppy to have a people name. I want him to have a puppy name."
"If you get a puppy," Jude said significantly, "you can name him whatever you want."
"I'll have to think about it," Mikey mused.
"You have lots and lots of time."
Mikey let out an awkward whine. "But … it's Christmas Eve!"
"We know," Connor said. "How's your supper?"
"Really, really, really good!" Mikey put another bite of ham in his mouth.
"Make sure you eat your veggies too."
"I will, Father."
Mikey finished off his carrots first and then he went through his potatoes. As Jude and Connor finished off their meal, Mikey began to bounce.
"What do you think?" Jude asked him. "Do you want to make some hot chocolate for the movie?"
"Yes, please!"
"Do we have mini marshmallows?" Connor asked quickly.
"Yeah, I got some when I went to the grocery store. I know you don't like hot chocolate without them."
"I like it, it's just nowhere near as good!" Connor claimed.
"I agree with Dad!" Mikey declared. "What do you think, Father?"
"I think I got the coloured mini marshmallows because they're best of all."
"Yes!"
"All done, Jude?"
"Yeah," Jude said.
Connor picked up both of their plates to take to the kitchen. Mikey followed him while Jude lingered behind to snuff out the candles and collect their glasses. With everything packed away in the dishwasher, Mikey did a little dance.
"I think," Jude said, as if he had just thought of the idea and it wasn't an established tradition, "we should see if there's any new jammies under the tree so we can be comfortable."
"Okay!"
Mikey grabbed Connor's sleeve and pulled on him. Connor reached back and took Jude's hand. In this chain, Mikey directed them into the living room. He plopped down in front of the tree, where a few presents were scattered. Most of them were from family members, but a select number of them had Christmas Eve written on the tag. They all got new pyjamas on Christmas Eve.
As Jude and Connor sat, Mikey carefully read the labels.
"To Dad, Christmas Eve. To Father, Christmas Eve. To Mikey, Christmas Eve."
He passed out the packages and Jude and Connor encouraged him to open his first. Mikey tore apart with paper with his usual exuberance.
"They have fire trucks on them," he said. Then, he held them up and gasped, "With the fire dogs! What are the spotted dogs called?"
"Dalmatians," Jude supplied.
"They have Dalmatians!"
"Do you like them?" Connor asked.
"Yes!" He hugged them close to his body. "What are yours like?"
Jude opened his. Connor had picked them out not too long ago. Usually he just picked out something plain, but this year, when he had been poking around in a store for things for Jude, he had found a pair that had made him laugh. He still smiled when Jude pulled out the bright blue pyjama pants that were printed with bright rubber ducks. Jude smirked at them.
"They're cute," he said.
"I like them!" Mikey announced. He looked at Connor. "Your turn!"
Connor carefully unwrapped his new pyjamas. Jude had gotten him what he usually did: a pair of plaid pyjama pants. Connor ran his hands across the soft material.
"Thank you," he said to Jude.
"Let's go put them on!" Mikey said.
He took off up the stairs, leaving Jude and Connor to trail in his eager wake. Mikey shut his bedroom door loudly in his excitement. Jude and Connor slipped inside their own room and changed quickly, exchanging a few quiet words.
"Do you really like them?"
"Yeah," Jude said. "I feel a little guilty that yours are so plain."
"No, I like them. You know I like these."
Jude smiled at him and Connor opened the door. Mikey flailed through the doorway and fell into Connor.
"I was just coming to get you!" he announced.
"And we were just coming to get you!" Connor replied. "Hot chocolate time?"
"With marshmallows!"
It didn't take long for them to have the hot chocolate ready. Jude picked up his own mug along with Mikey's. Connor made a stop into the living room and grabbed one more wrapped package from under the tree. Jude was curled on his usual side of the couch, searching for The Grinch. Mikey was flopped in the middle of the couch, his hot chocolate mug in his hands.
"I think you should open this tonight," Connor said, placing the present in Jude's lap.
"Me?" Jude squished the present. "What is it?"
"Open it." Connor took a step back, so he could watch Jude.
"Okay."
Jude flipped it over and followed the line of tape down the back. He pulled the wrapping paper apart to reveal the fuzzy, silky black blanket underneath.
"Oh, Connor," he breathed, running his hands over it. "It's so nice."
"I was hoping you would like it. I thought you and Mikey might want something cozy for Christmas Eve."
Jude carefully took the blanket out of its package. Jude pulled it around his shoulders like a cape and then wrapped one arm around Mikey.
"Oh! Really soft!" Mikey was distracted for a moment, as he petted the blanket. "I like it."
"Well, it's mine! No stealing!" Jude tickled Mikey's sides.
"Okay, okay!" Mikey agreed, breathless and laughing. "No stealing! I promise, Father, I promise!"
"We can cuddle, though, right?" Jude asked him.
"Right!" Mikey pulled Jude's arm around him and made himself comfortable. "Dad, sit! It's time to watch the movie!"
Connor sat down on the other side of Mikey and Jude pressed play on the remote. They drank their hot chocolate and watched the Grinch storm his way across the screen. Mikey gave an extra bounce every time he saw the Grinch's dog on the screen. When the movie was over, Mikey asked if, when his hair got long enough, that they could put it up in braids and teacups, like Cindy Lou Who's hair.
"Well, when your hair gets long enough, we'll see what we can do," Jude promised.
"For sure we can braid it," Connor said. "I don't know if either of us have the skills to put a teacup in it, though."
"I think you can do it!"
Jude ran his hands through Mikey's shaggy hair. "Maybe we can practice putting other things in it, first. Things that won't break."
"Yeah! I like that too!" Mikey said excitedly, but then he yawned.
"I think it's time to put milk and cookies out for Santa and then head on up to bed."
"I don't want to," Mikey said. "I'm not tired."
But he was yawning again.
"We'll read some books when we go up to bed," Connor promised.
"Twas the night before Christmas," Jude reminded him.
"Well, okay," Mikey agreed. "Let's go put out the cookies."
Connor grabbed their empty mugs as Jude and Mikey swept up the stairs; Jude's blanket was billowing behind him. Connor caught up to them in the kitchen.
"Where's the Santa plate?" Mikey asked.
Connor knew. He fetched it from the cupboard over the stove, along with the Santa mug. He rinsed them off in the stove, as they had gotten dusty from a year of disuse. Then, he put them on the counter so that Mikey could carefully count out six cookies and place them around the edge of the plate that said 'SANTA'S COOKIES!' and was decorated with cartoonish pictures of Santa and his reindeer. The mug matched the plate and was labelled 'SANTA'S MILK' and had nearly the same cartoons on it. Jude helped Mikey lift the heavy milk carton and poured Santa a full glass of milk.
Mikey proudly carried the plate to the living room and Connor followed with the full mug.
"When do you think Santa will be here?" Mikey asked.
"Not until you're asleep," Connor answered. "He knows when not to come in the house."
Mikey made a disappointed face. "I want to see him."
"You saw him at the mall," Jude reminded him.
"I want to see him do magic," Mikey explained.
"Well, some things are secret," Jude said. "And magic is one of them!"
Mikey didn't look totally satisfied. "Oh, okay. Well, let's go read!"
Mikey's energy was beginning to fade but he still beat Jude and Connor to the top of the stairs. He disappeared into his room and fished out the illustrated book that detailed the poem they had been talking about throughout the night. He was curled up on his bed and Jude and Connor took their places on either side of him.
"Do you want to read?" Connor asked, as Mikey cracked the book open.
"No. I want you and Father to, please."
"Okay."
Jude and Connor took turns and alternated pages as they read the poem aloud.
"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
"Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
"In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
"The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
"While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
"And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
"Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
"When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
"I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
"Away to the window I flew like a flash,
"Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
"The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
"Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
"When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
"But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
"With a little old driver so lively and quick,
"I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
"And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"'Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
"On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!'
"As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
"When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
"So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
"With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
"And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
"The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
"As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
"Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
"He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
"And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
"A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
"And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
"His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
"His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
"His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
"And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
"The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
"And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
"He had a broad face and a little round belly
"That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
"And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
"A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
"Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
"He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
"And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
"And laying his finger aside of his nose,
"And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
"And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
"But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
"'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'"
Mikey was still awake when they finished reading, but he was beginning to nod off. Jude and Connor kissed him goodnight. They made sure that he was tucked in, and then they shut the door to his room, retiring to their own. Jude flopped down on the bed.
"How long until he goes to sleep?" Jude asked, his words muffled by the blanket.
"A little bit yet."
Connor walked over to the bed, and then he straddled Jude's lower legs. He began to massage Jude's shoulders, and Jude sighed.
"You're going to put me to sleep," Jude murmured.
"You deserve a good sleep," Connor said.
"So do you. And I don't want to make you put the presents out on your own."
"I'll wake you up when it's time for that."
"I don't want to go to sleep. I want to spend time with you."
"You've been with me all day."
"Yeah," Jude agreed quickly, but his following words came more slowly. "But … not like you're my husband. Just like you're my co-parent; my sort of friend."
"We are friends, I am your co-parent, and I am your husband."
"Yeah, but … lately I've been missing the fact that you can be all three at the same time," Jude admitted.
Connor's hands slowed. "W-what do you mean?"
"I've been missing when … when we weren't anything but married."
Jude fidgeted underneath of Connor and Connor rose up onto his knees so that Jude could roll over onto his back. Connor sat down onto Jude's thighs again. Jude propped himself up on his elbows and for a moment, they just stared at one another.
"What are you saying, Jude?"
Jude drew in a deep breath. "Can we see if Mikey's asleep? So we can put the presents out and then talk?"
Connor didn't budge. "We're going to come back to this, right? You're not using this to drop the subject?"
Jude shook his head. "I just want to do everything that we need to do so that I'm not thinking about anything else."
Connor nodded, as it was fair. He left the room; Mikey was fast asleep. It was earlier than they would usually put out presents, but he beckoned Jude out into the hallway. They carried the suitcases from the office and down the stairs, unpacking them in front of the tree. They made sure to organize everything efficiently, and then Jude unplugged the tree while Connor checked that the doors were locked. They put the suitcases back in the office closet, so Mikey would never suspect that something had happened.
Jude stopped him in the office. "I got something for you … something that I can't give you in front of Mikey."
"So you weren't joking about the edible underwear?"
Jude cracked a smile. "Well … I don't want to get your hopes up. But, if you want it now, then I'd give it to you, now."
Connor was unsure. "What is it?"
"That's cheating," Jude teased. But, then, he was serious again. "It's … something to do with what we were talking about."
"Would you be disappointed if I said I want it now?"
Jude shook his head. "No."
"Then … please?"
"Close your eyes."
Connor did as he was told. Jude picked up both of his hands and led him from the office into the bedroom. Connor kept his eyes shut, even as he heard Jude close their bedroom door and then rustle about in their bedroom. He was tempted to look, but he didn't. This was too important for him to take any kind of shortcut or cheat. Jude eventually returned to his side, and lead him forward a few more steps. He positioned Connor, so that he was facing in the right direction, and then hid behind him.
"Okay," Jude whispered. "Open."
Connor did, and his heart seemed to spin in circles. There, on the end of their bed, as perfect as it had ever been, was their wedding photo. It was as if Jude had never destroyed it. Their younger selves were still happy there, inside that expensive frame. Connor found himself drawn forward a step, and he touched the smooth glass.
He looked over his shoulder. "What does this mean?"
"I have a reason to put it back in the living room."
Connor's heart picked up speed.
"I don't mean, tell Mikey now or tomorrow, or tell the world in the next sixty seconds. I mean, I'm ready to sit down and talk about how to tell him and how to tell everyone else we know. I'd hide forever, if you'd let me. But I'm telling you to not let me."
Jude stepped forward, and his arms encircled Connor's waist. Connor leant backward into Jude's hold, unable to take his eyes off the photo.
"You mean that?"
"I mean that." Jude kissed his neck. "I love you."
"I love you too," Connor said.
He felt Jude squish him and hug him tighter.
"I want our life back," Connor whispered.
"Me too," Jude replied. "We can't do that to Mikey, not now, but if it reaches his birthday, and I still haven't said anything, this is me telling you to kick me into gear, Connor."
Connor laughed weakly. "I can do that."
He felt Jude's hands on his hips, turning him. Connor spun willingly, first finding himself in Jude's embrace before feeling Jude's lips on his. He kissed Jude back with a passion, until he felt his knees beginning to weak. Jude separated from him so that he could put the photograph under their bed, and then Connor found himself back flat against the mattress, Jude on top of him.
"Thank you," Connor breathed, because he realized that he hadn't said it yet. "I love my Christmas present."
"I knew," Jude murmured, "That it was what you wanted."
"You're not just saying it because you think that's what I want, are you?" Connor interrupted, suddenly anxious.
"No, no," Jude assured him. "I want this. I want you. I just thought it would be a good way to show you that I'm not lying and that I'm not holding back because I want …" he trailed off, trying to choose his words carefully. "It's, like, I don't want you without … without reality too? That doesn't make any sense."
His hands were warm on Connor's stomach.
"We're hiding," Jude said. "And we're doing it for a really good reason. But I don't want to continue like this forever. I want us to be us. I want us to be … Not like we were before, but better. I want to kiss you in public and lay with you in bed. I want to fight about bills but nothing more serious than that. Our whole world was so different three years ago."
Connor reached around and moved Jude forward, so he was sitting further up on his thighs.
"I love you," Jude repeated. "I want to just be with you."
"I love you too," Connor whispered. "January. We'll talk and figure it all out then, right?"
"Yeah. I mean, February, to tell Mikey, at the latest."
Connor nodded, and then Jude leant down to kiss him. Connor sat up a little, meeting his lips. He didn't want any space between he and Jude, especially as Jude rolled down the front of Connor's pyjama pants. Connor rolled him back on the bed, falling back over him. They didn't go further than they had in recent months, but Connor could never have uttered a complaint about it. They were both naked as Jude sat up and looked at the clock.
"It's nearly three in the morning," Jude reported.
"So?"
"So, Mikey's going to be up and looking for Santa soon." Even as he said it, Jude was curling back under the sheets with Connor.
"The earliest he's ever gotten up for Santa was five thirty."
"Which is sooner than you're going to want it to be, old man," Jude teased. "Almost forty …"
"I am thirty-seven."
"Almost thirty-eight."
Connor shook his head at Jude. "Okay, okay."
Unwillingly, he rolled out of their bed. He looked at the cold, mostly neglected futon with a pout. He looked to Jude, trying to look as pathetic as possible.
"I know," Jude murmured. "I'm sorry."
Connor leant back over the bed for one last kiss, fiddling with the warm blankets. He tucked Jude's new black blanket around him.
"Thank you for this," Jude said, touching the softness of the blanket.
"I knew you'd like it."
"You're just encouraging me to not do anything, ever," Jude said. "I'll just be in bed with my comfy blanket."
"We'll see about that."
Jude kissed the side of his jaw. "Okay, we need to at least get an hour of sleep."
Connor agreed and he exiled himself to the futon. It always remained neatly made and in the same position, in order to give Mikey the illusion that nothing was happening behind his back. Connor felt a pang of guilt as he thought this, but then Jude's words made him smile and hide his face in his pillow. They had a set time to talk about it; they were going to figure it out. They were really going to do it. He thought of their wedding photo and he thought of how he would feel, hanging it back up in the living room.
It was better than any Christmas gift he could have hoped to receive.
(-.-)
"DAD!"
Connor woke abruptly as he felt Mikey's weight suddenly on top of him. Mikey was gone again in a rush, though, screaming "FATHER!" and leaping from the futon onto the bed. Jude groaned as Mikey landed on top of him, and then Mikey was jumping around on the bed.
"It's Christmas! It's Christmas! It's time to wake up; it's Christmas!"
Connor sat up, feeling exhausted. Christmas or no Christmas, a mug of coffee was on the forefront of his mind.
"What time is it?" Jude asked.
"Who cares?" Mikey said, while Connor squinted at the alarm.
"Six."
"Six?! Six?! It's late! It's late!" Mikey jumped back onto the futon. "Dad!"
"Mikey!"
"Help me get Father up! Come on, come on!"
With a groan, Connor was up on his feet. Mikey grabbed one of Jude's hands and Connor grabbed the other. Together, they hauled Jude up.
"Come on," Connor said. "It's Christmas!"
"Christmas!" Mikey hollered.
"Okay," Jude said. "I'm up."
"You don't look like you're up," Mikey said.
Jude was on his feet in a second, bringing his new blanket with him. They followed Mikey out of their room, and Connor flicked on light switches as they went. Mikey burst into the living room.
"Santa was here!"
"He was?" Jude pretended to look surprised. "He was!"
Mikey raced in a circle around the tree, nearly bumping into Connor as Connor bent down to plug the lights in. Connor and Jude both knew what he was looking for. Jude plucked a red envelope from the branches of the tree and sat down on the couch.
"Come here, Mikey. We want you to open this one first."
Connor and Mikey sat down on the couch together, and Mikey took the present from Jude's hands. He ripped the envelope open, sparing little time for the generic Christmas card. When he opened the card, a picture of the puppy fell into his lap. Mikey looked down at it, open mouthed. He picked it up and said, "A picture of a puppy?"
"I think you should read the card," Jude encouraged.
Mikey read the inscription on the inside. "Hi, Mikey. I'm your new puppy! I'm not allowed to leave my mom until January 19th! But your parents said you could come visit me on the 28th of December! I'm a boy, Irish Setter puppy but I don't have a name yet, so I hope you pick a good one! I can't wait to meet you!"
Mikey began to bounce on the couch, flapping his hands around excitedly.
"What do you think?" Connor asked.
"We're a getting a puppy!" Mikey gasped. "And he's red! He's really red!"
"Yeah, he is! Do you like him?"
"I love him, I love him, I love him! He's my favouritest puppy ever!"
"We're glad you like him." Jude hugged Mikey.
"How many more days until the twenty-eighth?"
"Three," Connor said. "That's not very many!"
"How many days until he comes and lives with us?"
"About twenty-five," Jude said.
"Oh." Mikey slumped. "That's a lot!"
"It won't seem like a lot," Connor assured him. "It'll fly by!"
"We'll see," Mikey said, making a face.
Connor hugged him. "I'm going to go make Father and I some coffee, okay? Can you wait a few more minutes to start opening things?"
"Can I have some hot chocolate?"
"Sure," Connor agreed. "I'll make you some hot chocolate."
"Thank you!"
Connor went into the kitchen and made up their drinks. By the time he had come back, Jude and Mikey had taken their stockings from where they usually leant against the wall and put them on the coffee table. Connor sat the mugs down and Jude immediately picked his up, sighing happily into it.
"You can start on your stocking," Connor encouraged Mikey.
Mikey ripped into it. There were a few little toys tucked inside of his stocking, along with some candy. Jude and Connor had also thrown in a bottle of shampoo for Mikey and a bottle of shampoo for the puppy. A number of Mikey's gifts this year were actually for the puppy, but neither Jude nor Connor thought Mikey would mind. They had finished their coffees and opened their own stockings by the time they allowed Mikey to begin to tear through his gifts. Christmas morning was no exception to his whirlwind behaviour.
Wrapping paper flew in all directions. Connor and Jude didn't really see a point to try and contain Mikey on Christmas morning. He responded to his toys and new soccer ball with gasps, always running over to show Jude and Connor what he had received, even if the gift tag had said it was from the two of them. He opened the dog bed.
"Can the puppy sleep in my room?" Mikey asked. "Please?"
"After the puppy is trained, he can sleep in your room," Connor answered. "While we're training the puppy, he'll need to go outside a lot during the night. We don't want to wake you up while we're doing that."
"Okay," Mikey agreed, though he looked a little disappointed about it.
"Don't worry," Jude said. "He's your puppy. We're just going to help you with him. When you're home, you're going to be the one taking care of him."
"Okay!" Mikey brightened up as he unwrapped a blue collar for the puppy. "Santa got my letter!"
"We told you he would!"
Jude passed Connor a box. "For you."
"Thank you." Connor unwrapped it. "My favourite chocolates!"
"Yum!" Mikey said.
"Here." Connor nudged a package in Jude's direction.
"This is heavy," Jude exclaimed, lifting them onto his lap.
Connor just shrugged.
Jude unwrapped them, and let out a laugh. "My textbooks!"
"And," Connor said, picking up another.
"Another book?" Jude guessed. "And a Spanish-English dictionary! Thank you!"
"What are those books for?" Mikey asked.
"Remember how we told you Father's going back to school?"
Mikey nodded.
"Those books are for his classes."
Mikey made a face. "Those are big books!"
"Look, this two are even in another language."
Mikey hung over Jude's shoulder, looking down as Jude flipped through the Spanish-English dictionary.
"But, why?"
"Because I'm going to be learning this language," Jude explained. "These books are going to help me. This one works just like a regular dictionary, except when I look up the word, it doesn't give the definition, it gives me the word in Spanish."
"Spanish," Mikey repeated softly.
"See, like the word dog is … perro."
"What about boy?" Mikey asked.
Jude flipped through the pages. "Niño."
"Father?"
"Padre."
"That's kind of cool," Mikey admitted. "Padre."
"Is one of us getting a name change?" Connor teased.
Mikey shook his head. "No. I like Dad and Father."
"So do we," Jude said. "Can you do something for me?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Can you get the bag over there with the Christmas tree on it? I think it's for Dad."
"Okay!"
As Connor opened the new shirt and tie from Jude, along with a little booklet on how to tie a tie, Mikey opened the last few gifts from their other family members. He sat quietly as Jude and Connor unwrapped the few odds and ends they had received from friends and family. They made sure to keep track of who gave them what, so they could properly thank everyone at Stef's and Lena's turkey dinner later that day.
"Are you getting hungry?" Jude asked Mikey.
He nodded.
"What do you feel like?"
"French toast!"
"French toast it is, then!"
They passed most of Christmas Day lazily. They ate breakfast at the dining room table and then they migrated downstairs; Brandon and Marley had given Mikey the newest Disney movie for Christmas. They took some of the chocolates they had received for Christmas downstairs with them, and treated themselves, even though it was still technically in the morning hours. After the movie was finished, they switched over to TV. It had been a late night for Mikey, and then an early morning, and he fell asleep on the couch. Jude ran his hand through Mikey's long mop of hair.
"We should go clean upstairs a little bit," Jude said. "Especially the wrapping paper."
Connor agreed. They left Mikey on the couch, curled up in Jude's new blanket. On the main floor of the house, they stopped and looked into the living room. Jude was shaking his head.
"I want to know how he manages to make such a mess so quickly," Jude laughed.
"I'll grab a garbage bag, you start organizing the gifts," Connor suggested.
The two of them cleaned up in companionable silence. The mess was mostly concentrated in one area of the living room, anyhow, and it looked a lot worse than it was. In no time, Jude was putting away the broom.
"I think I need another cup of coffee," he said.
"Agreed!" Connor replied.
In the kitchen, Connor rinsed their mugs from this morning while Jude prepped the coffee maker. While it brewed, Connor leant his head against Jude's shoulder, and Jude wrapped his arm around his waist.
"Merry Christmas," Connor murmured.
"Merry Christmas," Jude repeated.
Jude kissed the top of his head, and Connor immediately looked up, wanting more.
"Kissing in the kitchen with a kid downstairs is what got us in trouble last time," Jude reminded Connor, his voice slightly sing-song.
"This kid's asleep! And didn't you say we were going to tell him soon?"
"Yes, but you know what I mean by that."
"I know. I'm just … excited."
"I'm excited too," Jude said, and then he kissed Connor.
Connor was just beginning to melt into his husband when the coffee maker signalled that it was done brewing. Jude's head perked up and his lips left Connor's.
"Can't you at least pretend you love me more than coffee?"
"What would be the point if you already know the truth?"
"It might make me feel better?" Connor suggested, even as Jude turned away from him and began to pour the coffee.
"Will you get the creamer out of the fridge, sweetheart?"
The nickname made Connor smile because it sounded like it used to. It didn't sound like Jude was reminding himself to say it because he knew that Connor liked to hear it. It sounded as casual and as nice as Jude saying his real name did.
Connor fetched the creamer and poured it into the mugs and Jude grabbed the sugar.
Not knowing where else to go with his coffee, Connor hopped up on the counter and Jude took the space next to him. Connor transferred his coffee cup to his non-dominant hand so that he could hold Jude's. He looked down at Jude's scarred left hand. When they sat down to talk about Mikey, Connor decided, that was when he would bring up Jude's ring. It seemed the appropriate time, as the point of that time was to cover everything they needed to in order to be sure that they weren't jumping the gun. Connor didn't think that they were, though. Connor thought that had moved at a good pace; even, sometimes, too slowly. But it was better to be slow than fast; better to do it right than get it wrong.
Jude ran his thumb along Connor's hand and Connor kicked his feet against the cupboard.
"We should have gone out to the porch," Jude said. "It's a nice day."
"We still could," Connor offered. "I know you want to show off your duckie jammies."
Jude laughed. "No. We're almost done and I want to shower soon."
"I'll go after you, then," Connor decided.
"Kay." Jude reached out with his foot and hooked it around Connor's, holding his foot still.
"Am I bothering you?" Connor asked.
"No, no," Jude said.
Connor swung their joined feet. Jude let out a little sigh. He put his empty mug down and wrapped his arms around Connor's waist, leaning his head against his shoulder.
"Maybe you need to nap."
"Oh, I think we definitely both need to nap," Connor agreed. "After we both shower, we should just go back to the couch and watch TV until we have to get Mikey read to go to your Moms."
"That's not napping."
"No, but it'll be relaxing. We'd be delusional to think that Mikey would step asleep much longer anyway," Connor said.
Jude nodded. "I'm going to go shower now."
Jude hopped off the counter. When he was about a leg's length of way, Connor kicked out, catching Jude's butt with the curve of his foot. Jude let out a laugh, reaching back, but he was too slow to catch Connor's foot. He spun around.
"Yes?"
"Nothing," Connor said innocently.
"Are you sure?" Jude asked, sliding back toward him.
"Maybe I just like your butt."
Jude shook his head, flopping against Connor. "There's no point in playing coy, you know."
"I know." Connor ran his hands down Jude's back and, with a little bit of contortion, was able to slip his hands under the waistband of Jude's pants.
"You act like you're attention starved! Which I know isn't true."
"Maybe I need more anyway."
"Well, I'm sorry, but there's not much more I can do for you. I need to go shower."
"Remember when we used to do that together?"
"That was well before we had a kid." Jude picked himself up from Connor's lap and braced his hands on the counter so that he and Connor were nose to nose. "We can't do that when he's in the house because you know he'll come looking for us. Plus, letting a six-year-old loose on the place probably isn't the best idea either."
Connor shrugged. "Eventually he'll have to go back to school … Your classes aren't until later in the day … Or, you know, he'll go to bed."
"I'm not waiting until nine o'clock tonight to shower."
"There's no such thing as being too clean."
Jude laughed. "Well, maybe you should try doing your schmoozing when we get home from Moms."
"Bet on it," Connor said.
Jude laughed, and he pressed his lips to the side of Connor's mouth. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Jude went off to shower. Barely a few minutes later, Mikey was tumbling up the stairs. He looked around, blinking at Connor.
"How was your nap?"
Mikey yawned. "I'm still tired."
"Well, we're going to have plenty of time to relax today!"
"Where's Father?"
"Shower. Do you want anything?"
"Juice, please."
Connor got a glass down and filed it with orange juice.
"How was your Christmas morning?"
"Good." Mikey chewed his lip nervously. "I …"
"You what?" Connor crouched down as Mikey stood there hesitantly. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I like that you're not in your apartment for Christmas."
"Me too," Connor said. "I like living with you all the time."
"Do you like living with Father all the time too?"
"I like that Father and I are friends again," Connor said. "What do you think?"
"Um." Mikey made a face. "You don't seem like friends."
"What do we seem like?"
Mikey looked down, suddenly shy. "I don't know. Like … like before you moved out. Maybe like you still love each other?"
"Oh, Mikey," Connor murmured.
"I know. Father's sick. You're friends," Mikey said. "Don't worry, Dad. I know."
"You're a smart kid. Can I have a hug?"
Mikey hugged him tightly.
"Do you want to get dressed right now or do you want to hang out in your PJs for a while longer?"
"PJs please!"
Connor handed Mikey his glass of juice. Mikey held it carefully, like he had always been told to do.
"Will you come watch TV with me?"
"I'm going to go shower, but I'll send Father down," Connor promised.
"Will you be down after you shower?"
"Yes," Connor said.
Mikey went back into the basement and Connor went upstairs. Jude was standing in their bedroom, pulling one of his new shirts over his head.
'There's a view I could get used to," Connor murmured, putting his hands on Jude's bare skin. The hem of Jude's t-shirt flowed around his wrists.
"Even when I'm fifty and sagging and hairy?" Jude teased.
"Yeah," Connor agreed. "So long as it's you."
"It'll be me," Jude said. "Are you okay? You sound kind of funny."
"Mikey's making me feel guilty," Connor confessed, and he recounted what Mikey had said. "He trusts us not to lie to him, that's why he believes that we don't still love each other … That we're not doing exactly what we are doing."
"We'll help him through this. It's like you said, right, it's better for him to grow up with us both here than otherwise. I hope he won't feel too betrayed. It's like you told him; he's smart. I know he's six, but I keep hoping that he'll be able to understand that we couldn't have told him because we didn't understand."
"We won't know what it'll be like until it happens," Connor said. "That's the hard part."
"We'll deal with it." Jude squeezed Connor tightly. "Together … Later."
"Not too much later."
"Not too much later."
Connor nodded against Jude's chest. They kissed once, twice, and then Jude sent Connor off to shower with a swat to his butt. Connor showered quickly and dressed in some of his new clothes from Christmas. Downstairs, Jude and Mikey were on the couch, back under the black blanket. Connor curled up with them and they watched Christmas specials. They only had a small lunch; Mikey more than remembered the large feast that they had ahead of them.
At four o'clock, they dressed Mikey in his new clothes, let him get the picture of his new puppy to show off, and they were out the door. Mikey was singing happily in the backseat the entire drive to Stef's and Lena's. They were the first to arrive, and parked by Stef's and Lena's vehicles. In the driveway, he bounced out of the car and into the house. Jude and Connor followed him nearly as quickly.
"Grandmas!" Mikey yelled.
"We're in the kitchen!" Stef called back.
When Jude and Connor walked in the kitchen, Stef and Lena were gushing over the picture of the puppy.
"Do you know what you're going to name him?" Lena asked.
Mikey shook his head. "What do you think are good puppy names?"
"He's your puppy," Stef said. "You should be the one to pick. Besides, I'm no good at boy puppy names."
"I'm sure your Dads have plenty of good ideas," Stef said.
"I want to have his name before I go see him," Mikey said. "I don't think it would be fun to not have a name."
"I think you're right with that," Lena said.
Jude took a seat at the island and Connor put the pasta salad in the fridge.
"You also have to have the right name," Mikey said. "Having the wrong name wouldn't be any fun either."
"I think you're right about that too," Stef said.
"Do you need help with anything, Moms?"
"No, not right now," Lena said. "Maybe when the turkey gets a little closer to done you can pitch in with the veggies."
"Sure," Jude agreed.
"Do you know when Marley and Uncle Brandon are getting here?"
"Um, I think ten or fifteen more minutes," Stef said.
"Oh, okay. Can I turn the TV on?"
"Sure," Lena said.
Mikey skipped out of the kitchen and into the living room. Stef and Lena moved onto asking about the morning.
"Was he excited about the puppy?" Lena asked, though it was more than obvious Mikey was still excited about the puppy.
"So excited," Connor confirmed. "I don't know what he'll do when we actually bring it home."
"Explode," Jude answered simply.
"A puppy is a big commitment," Stef commented. She leant on the island. "So, who is he going to live with when Connor moves back to his apartment?"
"The puppy will just follow Mikey," Jude said.
"The apartment building allows pets," Connor added quietly. He was never going back there; not until he returned to pack his bags completely.
"Well, that's good," Lena said. She caught Connor's eye and smiled, as if trying to see if anything had changed since Jude's birthday party.
Connor smiled back.
Slowly, the Adams-Foster house began to fill. Marley and Brandon arrived and, instantly, Marley was begging her father for a puppy too.
"How about a kitten?" Brandon suggested. "Kittens are less work."
"You can't walk a kitten!" Marley argued.
"Puppies are better!" Mikey agreed.
Mariana and Greg arrived. They had three cats and, while they appropriately gushed over the adorable puppy, they told Mikey that they were glad the puppy was his. Mikey quizzed everyone on what they thought that he should name the puppy. Most people threw out a few suggestions, but, when Callie and her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Alex arrived, Alex was more than happy to play the name game with Mikey. They sat on the floor.
"Surfer?"
"No."
"Billboard?"
"Now you're just being dumb."
"You could call him Kitty?"
"A dog named Kitty?"
"Why not?"
"No."
There was a commotion at the door.
"Moms?" Jesus shouted. "Moms?"
Stef and Lena quickly left the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Stef said.
"Kimiko!" Lena cried.
"Isn't she the best Christmas present ever?"
Connor smiled, watching Jesus pull his girlfriend close. She looked up to him.
"Getting engaged to you was the best Christmas present ever!"
"You asked!" Lena exclaimed.
Kimiko held out her hand. "He said you helped him pick it. Thank you; it's beautiful."
"Oh, love, we're just glad you like it."
With the house full and brimming, it was time to get dinner underway. Everyone served themselves buffet style. Everyone then crammed into the dining room, sitting elbow to elbow. They were crowded in, but everyone seemed happier that way. When they were sitting, Callie almost ended up next to Connor and she quickly circled around to the other side of Alex. Jude caught her eye, and she sighed, but Jude quickly got her word that she wouldn't bring up anything today; it was Christmas and it needed to special. With everyone seated, the conversations all flowed loudly and freely. Kimiko talked about Japan and her mother; she would be returning there the first week of January to help her mother pack her things, as her mother had agreed to move to the States. Jesus was an excited mess; he did nothing but stare at her. She hadn't told him that she was coming home for Christmas. She had just walked in the front door at six in the morning and woke him up.
"I saw her standing there, grabbed the ring out of my nightstand and dropped to one knee."
Kimiko laughed. "He sleeps naked, just so you get the full picture."
Mariana snorted. "Oh my God. You loser."
"It was sweet," Kimiko said. "He looked so happy."
"I am so happy."
"Get a room!" Alex encouraged.
"I am happy for you," Mariana said. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Marley announced to Brandon that she and Mikey decided that she should get a puppy so that their puppies could play together. Brandon was rolling his eyes, even as Alex suggested that Mikey and Marley could name their puppies 'Tweedle-Dee' and 'Tweedle-Dumb'.
"No way," the cousins told him.
"We could get a dog," Alex said to Callie.
"Does that mean you're moving in with me?"
"Why don't you move in with me?"
"You could buy a house together," Marley suggested. "Aunt Callie, your apartment is little."
"People buy houses when they're in love," Mikey agreed. "I think you have to."
Jude laughed into his mashed potatoes.
The conversation continued along. They pulled Christmas crackers and everyone put on their paper crowns. To Brandon's dismay, Marley got a whistle in hers, while Jude and Connor sighed in relief over the alien figurine that fell out of Mikey's cracker. They ate sugar cookies for dessert and then Marley and Mikey skipped off to play.
Stef and Lena began to clear off the table, but the siblings quickly made their moms sit down. There were more than enough people in the house; Stef and Lena needn't lift a finger. It took an impressively short amount of time for Jude, Greg, Callie, Alex, Mariana, and Kimiko to clean up the dining room and kitchen. While Jesus, Stef, Lena, and Connor played with and took care of the kids, the rest of them were able to do the dishes, put the leftovers away, and make everything more spotless than it had been before Stef and Lena had started cooking dinner.
"Thank you so much," Stef said, hugging Alex. "We really appreciate it."
"Whatever we can to help," Callie said, squeezing on the couch next to Lena.
"Honey," Greg said, "She's getting fussy."
"Well, Christmas is a big day!" Mariana said, lifting her daughter away from her husband. "What do you think, Carla? Is it time to home and to go to bed?"
"Please," Greg whimpered.
"I guess it's time for us to start heading out," Mariana said. "Thank you for Christmas dinner, Moms."
"You're welcome." Lena kissed Mariana and Carla goodbye. "We hope to see you soon."
"Always," Greg said. "We couldn't stay away."
With Mariana out the door, Jesus and Kimiko decided to take their leave. Jude and Connor thought it was time to take Mikey home; they were both tired. Mikey gladly skipped out the door after them, asking if they could play with some of his new toys when they got home. Jude and Connor agreed; he wanted to set up the new racetrack that his aunts and uncles had bought for him.
"Where would you like to set it up?" Connor asked.
"Basement?" Mikey suggested.
"That's a good idea," Jude said. "We have lots of room down there."
They walked in the front door and Mikey went off to collect the large box. He carried it proudly down the steps by himself, even though Jude and Connor watched him carefully. In the basement, they moved the coffee table off to one side so they would have room to sit and build the thing up against the far wall.
Mikey opened the box destructively, throwing the instructions at Jude. Jude and Connor unfolded them together.
"Hey, hey," Connor said, catching Mikey in the middle of his unpacking. "Don't throw those pieces all over the place. They'll be harder to put together. Make sure they stay in their little baggies."
"Okay," Mikey sighed, but he continued to unpack the baggies from the box.
Jude started reading off the directions. Connor and Mikey scrambled around to collect the parts, connecting them together as Jude instructed. It took them the better part of an hour to assemble the complicated course. It was an impressive set-up though, and Mikey was pleased with the gift. Stef and Lena had known what their children were planning for their grandson and supplied him with dinky cars. It was getting late, but Jude and Connor knew how frustrating it would be for the little boy if they built the set and didn't let him play with it for even a few minutes.
Mikey scrambled up the stairs to get the pack of dinky cars and immediately deposited them in Connor's lap. Connor opened them and he let Mikey pick out what cars they were all going to play with. They chased each other around the extensive track for a while, until it was impossible to ignore Mikey's yawn.
"I think it's bed time," Connor suggested.
Mikey sent his bright yellow car flying down the track. "Okay, Dad."
Jude gathered up the black blanket from the couch and Connor turned the lights off. Mikey took both of their hands and they walked up the stairs together. Mikey brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Connor tucked him in and then Jude sat next to him, reading a story. Mikey was nearly asleep when Jude finished, so they kissed him goodnight and closed the door.
"Bed time for us too?" Connor guessed.
"I'm not tired enough to sleep, but I feel like being in bed," Jude answered softly. "But I want to go get something from under the tree. Do you need anything while I'm downstairs?"
"No, thanks."
While Jude went downstairs, Connor brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. He spread the black blanket over top of their comforter and then he turned the heat down so that wouldn't overheat underneath of it. He had just picked up the TV remote when Jude returned, his Spanish-English dictionary and his Spanish textbook in his hand. Connor waited as Jude got ready for bed and then Jude flopped down on the mattress next to him.
"You don't think textbooks are a boring Christmas present, do you?"
"No! I'm excited about it!" Jude took the shrink wrap off his Spanish textbook and opened it.
Connor snuggled close to him so that he could read over Jude's shoulder. The beginning pages of the textbook were extraordinarily simple. Jude ran his finger underneath a black line of text, reading in a terrible accent.
"Hola, my nombre es Jude."
"I like the sound of Spanish," Connor murmured.
"Let's see you say something," Jude challenged.
"Hmm." Connor pulled both the textbook and the dictionary into his lap. He flipped around through both of them until he found out exactly what he wanted. "Me gustan tus nalgas."
Jude grabbed the dictionary back, taking a moment to look up the words.
"You suck!"
"Gladly!" Connor shot back.
Jude snorted. He pushed Connor back against the pillows and then, he straddled Connor's lap. He put the dictionary down on Connor's chest and flipped through the dictionary's pages.
"Corazoncito."
"That sounds like it's something sweet," Connor guessed.
"Sweetheart, actually," Jude replied.
"Can I see?"
Jude handed the dictionary over. Connor propped the book up against Jude, searching for the word that he wanted. "Esposo."
"Spouse?" Jude guessed.
"Or husband," Connor murmured.
"Same thing." Jude snorted.
Connor ignored him and flipped through the dictionary, looking for something else to say.
Jude picked up the textbook, leaning back on Connor's legs. "Oh, perfect."
"What?" Connor sat up a little, but Jude tilted the book away so that Connor couldn't see what he was reading.
"El burro sabe mas que tu," Jude told him.
"Wait. Burro? Isn't that donkey? Did you just call me a donkey?"
"No," Jude said slyly. "Tienes la cara como una nevera por detrás."
"I don't even know what that means."
Jude turned the textbook around. "They're common Spanish insults!"
Connor skimmed the page. "Okay, one, I am smarter than a donkey. Two, your face … looks like the back of a fridge? I'm hoping I'm missing out on some significant cultural influence here."
"Probably," Jude said with a laugh.
"Oh, and," Connor added, "Eres tan feo que hiciste llorar a una cebolla."
Jude looked down at the book. "And you thought I was mean for saying that you looked like a fridge!"
"You are mean!"
"You love me," Jude pointed out arrogantly.
"Te amo," Connor said.
"Te amo," Jude echoed.
"Now, call me cute," Connor instructed.
"How about arrogant?"
Connor reached up and grabbed onto Jude's waist, holding onto Jude as Connor pushed him down onto the mattress. Jude's dictionary and textbook fell to the floor with a loud thud. Jude and Connor froze, holding their breaths. They didn't hear anything coming from Mikey's room, so Connor kissed Jude. Jude kissed him slowly.
Connor propped himself up on his hands. "Do you not want to?"
"I want … a little bit," Jude confessed.
"You've got to start telling me that. I'm not going to be disappointed if you say you only want a kiss goodnight."
"I want more than one kiss," Jude said. "But I don't want more than a kiss."
"Okay. See, that simple."
Jude smiled, though he was shaking his head. "You know me too well."
"No such thing." Connor kissed him gently. "I like knowing you."
"I like knowing you."
"Do you feel like you know me? You said once or twice that sometimes you still feel like you don't."
Jude paused. "Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I know you. I think you're still protecting me a little bit but that's just you. You're protective. And I know it's not like you're hiding something big from me, so …" Jude shrugged. "I trust you. We all need to keep some things to ourselves, right?"
"Right," Connor confirmed. He picked up Jude's hands and kissed the palms of each. "Everything okay?"
Jude nodded. "Everything feels okay."
They sat up together and curled into bed. Connor put on a comedy movie to watch. Connor rested his back against Jude's chest, pulling Jude's arms close around his waist. They chuckled their way through the first few minutes; although they were both fast asleep before the movie ended.
Thank you to Roberto for the translations.
Don't forget to send me playlist ideas if you have them! This week's songs are: Overwhelmed by Tim McMorris (reader recommended); and Speak by Ben Abraham (reader recommended).
So, on tumblr I'm: we are all of legend now (with dashes between every word). If you want to find my replies to anon reviews, add backslash tagged backslash anon dash replies. If you want to see anything I post about Hand In My Pocket, to my tumblr URL add backslash tagged backslash hand dash in dash my dash pocket. Punctuation is spelled out due to Fanfiction's restrictions. If you're having any trouble accessing the tumblr content please send me a pm and I can format it for you in a different way.
~TLL~