Chapter Text
David had tried several times to convince Max to go to Temple with him, but Max still didn’t want to. Max was afraid of what he might find there, too many memories. So Max did not participate in the traditions he was used to, instead, he convinced David to show him their family traditions, very carefully though, making it seem like it was David’s idea instead so that he didn’t look interested.
“What the hell are we even doing?” Max grumbled as he held a bag of icing piping it into his mouth instead of the house-shaped cookies in front of him.
David placed his hands on his hips frowning at Max. “if you eat all the icing you won't have the glue to hold the house together.”
Jasper grabbed the bag out of David’s hand and poured some into his own mouth. “Oh, common let the kid live, it's not like anyone ever eats their gingerbread house once it’s built anyways.”
Max scrunched up his nose. “This is a weird fucking tradition, making something from food that no one eats, and that’s not just coming from a kid whose eaten food out of a rubbish bin.” He made his point but tossing a jube jube at the redhead.
David looked between them and groaned. “I hate when you two gang up to pick on me, it’s not fair. Were making the gingerbread house, we’ve always had one here. Mom would be disappointed if she knew we didn’t for Max’s first Christmas.” David seemed to not want to sway on the subject, so they made the gingerbread house which turned out lopsided a little odd but to David it was perfect. He took too many pictures of it in Max’s opinion, but when no one was looking, Max, took a picture of it too.
When Max sat down on the couch David caught a glimpse of his lock screen photo, Max had been very careful not to let anyone see it, but it was the picture from their date night, the selfie of Jasper and David stood together. The redhead didn’t say anything about the picture though, he didn’t want the kid to feel embarrassed or anything.
The curly haired blonde put on a Christmas movie and snuggled in on the couch with his family, they did a lot of that over the few weeks that they really celebrated the holidays as a distraction. Max didn’t even mind eventually even actively choosing to cuddle one of his dads, especially when he felt particularly clingy. The contact built their relationship more then anything else could have, there was nothing stronger than the unspoken bond between a parent and a child, and even though Max would never acknowledge it their bond was as strong as Max had had with his mother. He felt safe, loved and cared for, something he was learning from movies was the most important part of their western holidays.
On Christmas day Max woke up like it was any other day, he didn’t even think about it just got coffee and settled onto the couch. It was around sip 4 that he realized the heaps of presents under the tree in the corner. “What the fuck is all that?” Max asked confused.
“It’s our Christmas presents,” Jasper replied ruffling the boys groomed hair.
Max made a face. “Your guy’s?” He had aided both parents in selecting gifts for one another on separate occasions and was surprised to see they had been labeled from him.
“Ours, as in you, me, David and Gwen,” Jasper explained patiently watching as Gwen wandered in like she was a member of the living dead stretching out on the lounge piece. “We all have presents.”
Max mostly got clothing, but there were other gifts he never expected, things like a video game and a cool new marvel blanket for his bed. He had made fun of the blanket but he cherished it and put it in his room where no one could see it.
Just even having things that they had put thought into was enough to bring tears to his eyes, he hugged each adult when all the presents were done. “Thanks…. I guess you guys aren’t as bad as I first thought….” He mumbled settling in to start on the new game trying not to let them see just how emotional he was over the whole ordeal. He hated it and felt a little like David’s emotional personality was rubbing off on him.
Jasper made them breakfast and Gwen left nearer to lunch to go spend the rest with her family, leaving their little family to their own Christmas. David spent the afternoon curled up on the end of the couch reading in Jasper’s lap, the tallest man had put on corny Christmas movies, the kind made by the card company. Max was watching them too but only over the top of his game, he refused to acknowledge that he was actually somewhat taken by the emotional plots. Sometimes he would imagine his dads in the stupid romantic situations, in his head playing out how it would go if it were his two nerds. Max had to hide a little stupid smile behind his DS at one point from how amused he was about it. If they had gone so long loving each other not knowing it they certainly would end up in all of these stupid romantic scenes.
“So what’s for dinner?” Max asked curiously and both men glanced at the clock on the wall.
Jasper fidgeted. “Actually we have to go to dinner with my family.” The curly blonde haired man admitted. “I tried to get out of it…but they weren’t having it….”
“Oh fuck….” Max mumbled, he couldn’t even imagine what the Campbell family was like.