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Thanksgiving.
The holiday of good food and being thankful for what you have. It’s mostly a holiday spend with family, but it can also be spend with good friends.
Ohm never had that.
He never had the pleasure of experiencing the smell of turkey roasting in the oven or exchanging gifts as some groups do. That made him sad at times, but he didn’t like to dwell on it. Besides, times had changed. It was better now.
He had a loving boyfriend of 4 years, good friends close by and he was still streaming, what he loved to do as often as possible. What more could he want than a roof above his head and the company of Cartoonz, Princess and Tiny?
Luckily, the cat and dog got along just fine. They had enough space to avoid each other when necessary. Ohm felt happy. He really was. And yet, every year at the time that Thanksgiving came by, he felt sad.
Every year, he quietly told himself what he was thankful for. Always hiding his grief, never mentioning his true feelings. He wasn’t ready to open up about his wishes. He thought he hid it well, but he was wrong.
Cartoonz did notice.
He noticed when they weren’t together yet. Ohm always changed the subject as quick as possible when someone mentioned the holiday. He noticed the first year they were together. Ohm hadn’t mentioned Thanksgiving at all and Cartoonz had been too insecure to ask him about it. The second and third time Thanksgiving passed by, Cartoonz noticed as well. But every time he was too afraid to ask.
Not this time.
This time, he had a plan. He had already asked his friends if they had free time and they loved the idea. So, around the 20th of November, Cartoonz calmly suggested they’d celebrate Thanksgiving this year. He did while watching a movie. The movie was soon forgotten when Ohm looked at him in stunned silence. Tears were forming in his eyes and Cartoonz feared he said the wrong thing. But when Ohm started to talk, explaining why it upset him, he understood. They spend the rest of the night talking. Ohm slowly but surely opening up more and more about his feelings.
Eventually, Ohm asked their friends if maybe, perhaps, if they could and if they wanted to, spend their Thanksgiving with them. They all agreed and made plans to meet up. And for the following days, Ohm was busy planning out what to do. He constantly asked Cartoonz what he thought about it, which slightly annoyed the other, but he mostly liked how excited Ohm seemed. Cartoonz couldn’t help but agree with everything the other suggested.
Anything to keep that smile on Ohm’s face.
///////////////////
It was the 26th of November, 6:00am and Ohm was already wide awake. Can you blame him? There was still so much left to do! Their guests were staying over, the house needed cleaning and he had an entire dinner to prepare. And on top of that, their friend group had decided to do a Secret Santa as well.
Luckily, Ohm had already finished wrapping his gift the day prior. His Secret Santa was DeadSquirrel, which wasn’t too difficult to find a present for. Squirrel had mentioned wanting to put more effort into decorating the background of his stream, so Ohm bought some fairy lights, floating shelves and a cute little squirrel plushie.
As a joke, he put the gifts in a box full of acorns and wrapped the whole thing. Squirrel would probably get excited at seeing such a big present with his name on it. Ohm giggled to himself. He was so ready for today. Beside him in bed, Cartoonz groaned.
“Good morning, my love,” Ohm said, kissing Cartoonz' cheek. The other groaned again and tried to hide beneath the covers, but Ohm pulled them off of him. Cartoonz could give him the stinky eye all he wanted, but they had a lot of things to do and he needed the help.
“C'mon Toonzie, we have work to do,” he said with a whine. “That aint getting me outta bed sooner,” Cartoonz grumbled, turning around in bed. Ohm let himself fall back on the bed, leaning over Cartoonz. “Please, Toonzie?” he said, kissing his cheek,” I’ll make us breakfast.”
Cartoonz turned around, that way he could capture Ohm’s lips better. After softly moving their lips together, they parted. Cartoonz sighed. “Okay, bunny, I’ll get up.” Ohm beamed a smile at him and practically sprinted out of the bedroom.
Cartoonz took a moment to print the image of a widely smiling, obviously excited and red cheeked Ohm into his memories. Then he joined his boyfriend at the breakfast table. Hmm, that smelled like pancakes.
After breakfast, the both of them cleaned the house and made sure that everyone of their friends had a place to sleep. The place wasn’t all that big and with a playlist of good music blasting in the background it didn’t take all that long. Then, after a quick break, they went into the kitchen.
It would only be a couple of hours before the first guests would arrive and Ohm would like to be done with the mayor part of preparing dinner. Of course, they started with the turkey. “Look at that big boy,” Cartoonz said, putting the bird on the chopping board. Ohm chuckled at Cartoonz’ proud expression. He did after all pick out the best and biggest turkey he could find.
“You did a good job,” Ohm said, patting his boyfriend on the back. “Now step aside, I’m going to prepare this beast for a feast.” Cartoonz laughed and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. “If you’ll stuff that turkey real good,” he winked,” then I’ll start on the mashed potatoes.” Ohm rolled his eyes.
“Oh, I’ll stuff it. I’ll stuff it real good.”
Cartoonz fake moaned, making them laugh. Okay, back to focusing on the turkey. It was quite a job after all. Although, eventually, it didn’t take him all that long. It was about half an hour when the turkey went into the oven. Ohm washed his hands, when suddenly he got hugged from behind.
“Was it easy to stuff it, or do you need some examples on how to stuff things?” Ohm let out a startled laugh then splashed some water in the other’s face. “You need to cool off, mister,” he said with a grin,” our guests can arrive any moment now, we don’t have time for that.”
Cartoonz whined like a kicked puppy and pouted. Ohm smiled slyly as he leaned in close. “Who knows, if you help me, I might just give you a personal thank you tonight.” Cartoonz eyes sparkled as he pulled Ohm flush against him. “Hmmm, I might just help you really well, so you’d have to thank me.” Ohm chuckled lowly. “Is that so?”
Their lips connected and for a moment they were content staying like that. Cartoonz didn’t hesitate in deepening the kiss, quite literally taking Ohm’s breath away. But before the wandering hands and deep kisses lead to anything more, they pulled back. They did need this thing called oxygen. Ohm’s cheeks were flushed a deep shade of red and Cartoonz had to contain himself for diving in for another kiss.
“Now, let’s not waist any more time,” Ohm said after scraping his throat,” You start on the gravy and cranberry sauce and I’ll bake a pecan pie for dessert.” Cartoonz smiled excitedly at the mention of pie and let go of Ohm. He pressed one last quick kiss to Ohm’s lips then left to start on the gravy. Ohm sighed contently. He hoped they could do this every year. He would really like that.
After they prepared the mashed potatoes, gravy. Cranberry sauce and swapping the now done cooking turkey with the pecan pie in the oven, they took a moment to rest. Nursing a glass of tea, Ohm leaned back into the couch, letting out a sigh. He never knew Thanksgiving was so much work.
He loved it though and he was sure the hard work was worth it in the end. He couldn’t wait for his friends to taste all food they prepared. They even kept the so called wish-bone of the turkey, so they could break it over dinner. They had to fight over who of them were to break it and make their wish, but he was sure they’d figure it out later.
He heard Cartoonz come down the stairs, stepping into the living room with a wrapped gift in his hands. Ohm felt his curiosity peak. He wondered what was in the gift and for who it was. “All done,” Cartoonz said, putting the gift next to Ohm’s. The other made his way over to him, trying to peak at what it said on the nametag.
“Hey! No peaking!” Cartoonz laughed and tried to shield Ohm’s eyes with his hands. “Aww, come on, just let me see who’s your secret Santa.” Cartoonz chuckled,” But that would ruin the surprise.” Ohm gave in with a pout. “Fiiiine.”
Cartoonz pecked him on the nose before twisting him around and pushing him towards the dining room. “C’mon, we’ve got to set the table before our guests arrive,” he said, letting go of Ohm. He opened the cabinet, in search of the tablecloth and table runner they had bought especially for this occasion. It’s a good thing they had a relatively big dining table, a bit too big for just the two of them sometimes, but once there were 6 people seated it was a perfectly good size.
When he returned, Ohm hadn’t moved an inch. He was seemingly lost in thoughts, staring at the table before him. “You grab the other end so we can lay it straight,” Cartoonz said, taking the tablecloth out of its package. Cartoonz frowned as he got no response.
“Hey, bunny...” he said, making his way over to Ohm,” What’s wrong?” Ohm looked up at him, tears brimming at the edge of his eyelids. Cartoonz pulled him into a hug. All kinds of worried thoughts ran through his head as he held the man he loved so dearly. Ohm quietly sobbed, hands in a death grip in Cartoonz’ shirt.
Why was he crying?
As his sobs died down, Cartoonz pulled back a bit to place a hand on Ohm’s cheek. “Tell me what’s wrong, bunny,” he said softly,” Tell me how to help.” Ohm smiled, eyes still a bit wet with tears. “I’m just-,” he hiccupped,” ‘m just... really happy.”
Cartoonz let out the breath he was holding, shoulders shagging in relief. “Oh, my sweet bunny, you had me worried.” Ohm sniffled. “I’m sorry,” he said,” I don’t even know why I’m crying.” Cartoonz chuckled. “I’m really excited and yet nervous,” Ohm said,” I can’t wait to see what they think of the food and presents I prepared.”
Cartoonz faked annoyance as he said,” Hey, I helped!” Ohm sighed softly. “Sorry, you’re right. It’s just… I should be smiling, cause I’m happy. Not crying like a little baby.” Ohm looked away, ashamed of himself.
Cartoonz took a hold of his chin, making him look back at him. “You just got overwhelmed and that’s okay.” Ohm smiled, placing his own hand on Cartoonz’ chest. He was so grateful for his partner, he was always so supportive.
“But you’re right, you are a big baby.”
The grin on Cartoonz’ face earned him a soft slap and a glare. “I was about to kiss you,” Ohm said, stepping away,” But now you’re not getting any.” Cartoonz gasped. “Nooooo, kiss me!” he pouted. Ohm shook his head, walking away. “Nope!”
Cartoonz chased after him, trapping him against the kitchen counter. “Please? Just one kiss?” He puckered his lips, making Ohm snort. “Hell no.” Cartoonz gasped again. Ohm rolled his eyes as he went back to getting plates out of the cupboard.
“Pllleeeaaassseeeeee?” Cartoonz tried again,” Pretty, pretty please?” Ohm sighed and turned back towards him, faking disappointment. “If I kiss you, will you get back to work?” Cartoonz nodded his head so excitedly it made Ohm wince. It looked like that hurt.
“Well… ok then,” Ohm said laughing. He grabbed Cartoonz’ face to make him stop nodding and smashed their lips together. Cartoonz let out a surprised noise as Ohm quickly deepened the kiss. Eyes closed, soft sighs escaped parted lips. They eventually, reluctantly parted.
“Wow,” Cartoonz said, eyes glossy as he looked at Ohm. The other smiled, biting his lip. “Now get back to work,” he said, patting Cartoonz’ face. They chuckled and continued setting the table.
It didn’t take them long to finish, although it could’ve been done faster if they stopped giving each other cheeky smiles and hungry looks. Once they were done, they went to change into their fancy clothes. That too could’ve gone quicker if Ohm would’ve stopped undressing Cartoonz every time he put on his dress shirt.
Oh well.
“I got it!”
Cartoonz finished buttoning up his shirt as he walked to the front door. When he opened the door it revealed Squirrel and Bryce standing out in the cold. “Hey guys, come in quick,” Cartoonz said, stepping aside to let the two enter.
“Hello and thank you,” Bryce said with a smile,” It really is cold outside.” Squirrel bounced by with a quick ‘hello’, going straight for the very small gift pile to place his own gift beside it. “Oi, Squirrelium! Take off your shoes,” Cartoonz called after him. Bryce laughed as he hung up his coat. “It’s good to see you,” Bryce said, pulling Cartoonz into a quick hug. “Likewise,” the other said.
“Sooooo, how excited is he?” Bryce asked with a smile as he went to put away his gift. “Very excited.” Cartoonz softly slapped Squirrel on the back of the head as he walked by. “Yeah, yeah, I’m already taking them off!” he shouted, rubbing the back of his head.
“How much you wanna bet he looked at the nametags?” Bryce asked laughing. Cartoonz chuckled and shook his head. The doorbell rang again and Squirrel opened it almost immediately. He was standing right beside it after all. “Oh, hi,” Gorillaphent said, slightly surprised by the younger man. “Rilla!” Squirrel said excitedly, pulling the other into a hug. Rilla chuckled and patted Squirrel on the back. When they let go, Squirrel gasped and said; “I haven’t hugged the others yet!”
He then sprinted to Cartoonz, hugged him. Gorillaphent took that time to enter the house, close the door and take off his shoes and jacket. “I already got a hug, don’t need another one,” Bryce said laughing as Squirrel let go of Cartoonz after squeezing the life out of him.
“Go hug Ohm,” Cartoonz said grinning. “Good idea,” Squirrel said and bounced away. As Rilla put his gift with the others, he greeted the two men. “He got too much energy,” he sighed. The others nodded.
Suddenly, they heard a shout coming from the kitchen area. “Squirrel, get out of the kitchen!” Followed by a whine. “I just wanted a hug! And it smells nice in here.” Cartoonz led Bryce and Rilla towards the dining room, where they found Squirrel already seated. Bryce went to sit beside him, ruffling his hair, earning him a huff.
As Gorillaphent sat down, the doorbell rang again. Cartoonz went to open the door for Delirious. “Why are you always last? You live the closest by!” Delirious, who was shivering from the cold, gave him a glare. “Also hi, now let me in bitch.”
Cartoonz laughed, pulling his long time friend in a hug. He closed the door behind the other, taking his coat to put on a hanger, while Delirious took off his shoes. Delirious then slipped into his raccoon slippers that Ohm got for him. Delirious hang out at their place so much that Ohm insisted he’d get him slippers to wear, so his feet won’t get cold.
“Where’s Tiny and Princess?” Delirious asked curiously. “We left them at my parent’s house, they’re pet sitting for the weekend,” Cartoonz explained. “Aah I get that, Tiny would probs get overwhelemeded with all the people,” Delirious said and Cartoonz nodded, skipping over his friend’s mistake. The other was trying his best.
They made their way over to the dining room. “It smells delish-delicious,” Delirious said as he walked in. “Thanks-” Cartoonz started, but got interrupted by an excited Squirrel. “Delirious!” he shouted and stood up from his chair to sprint towards the other.
Delirious caught him in a hug and spun him around, almost hitting the table. “Hello Squirrel,” he said fondly, hugging the other close. The others smiled looking at the two. After a moment, Squirrel let go.
Delirious did not.
“Uhh, Delirious… you can let go now,” Squirrel said chuckling. “Nope! You’re warm.” Squirrel tried to escape, but there was no escaping the grip of H2ODelirious.
“Delirious, let go of poor Squirrel,” Ohm said as he excited the kitchen. At the sight of steaming hot turkey, Delirious let go of the other and went to sit besides Cartoonz. Squirrel dramatically heaved some breaths, before sitting back down. Ohm shook his head and put the turkey in the middle of the table. He swatted at Bryce’s hand that reached towards some tomatoes. “Wait till everything’s on table,” he said with a laugh. Bryce pouted as he folded his hands neatly in front of him.
As Ohm walked back into the kitchen, Squirrel let out a squeak. The others all looked confused at him, while one grinned evilly. What they couldn’t see was Delirious slipping out of his slippers and sticking his cold feet under Squirrel’s pants. Squirrel glared at Delirious, his cheeks red in embarrassment. He got a very sweet smile back.
They started up small talk while Ohm finished placing down the food. Once he sat down, he let out a sigh. “It looks delicious, bunny,” Cartoonz said, kissing him on the cheek. Ohm smiled at him in appreciation. “Especially that turkey,” Delirious said, almost drooling at the smell of it. “That’s because I showed Ohm how to stuff it,” Cartoonz said,” He stuffed it real good.”
He let out a fake moan and Ohm slapped him while laughing. “Eww, TMI!” Delirious said, cheeks burning red. Gorilla shook his head as Bryce and Squirrel kept laughing. “Now let’s not let this all go to waist,” Ohm said, clapping his hands,” Dig in.”
And dig in, they did. Bryce immediately stole most of the vegetables, while Delirious and Squirrel fought over who went first on the turkey. Cartoonz decided to stop the argument before it truly began and cut of a piece for each. He ended up cutting off pieces for everyone.
“Oh, I forgot the wine,” Ohm said, but before he could get up, Rilla stopped him. “I got it,” he said and went to grab the bottle out of the refrigerator. “This cranberry sauce is amazing,” Bryce said, around a mouthful of food. “Thank you,” Cartoonz said proudly. “Wow, Cartoonz, you cooked something?” Delirious said exaggerating his surprise. Cartoonz slapped him on the back of the head while the others laughed. Delirious grinned as he took a sip of his wine. “Thanks Rilla,” Ohm said as the other sat back down. “No problem, if anyone wants more, just give me a shout.”
Cartoonz took a bite of turkey and moaned. “This is really good,” he said with his mouth full of food. “Swallow, then talk,” Ohm said sternly. Cartoonz’ eyes twinkled with mischief and there was a smile on his face. Ohm gave him a look to warn him, but when did he ever listen.
“You would know about swallowing, it’s a good thing I showed you the stuff spot.”
Ohm sighed, shaking his head disappointedly while the others groaned. “I’m eating!” Bryce said, staring slightly disgusted at his mashed potatoes. “I’m sorry,” Cartoonz said, trying to stifle his laughter. And just as silence returned and everybody started eating again, Squirrel spoke up.
“I wanna stuff Delirious.”
Delirious choked on the gravy and Cartoonz lost his shit. Poor Delirious was coughing harshly and all Cartoonz and Bryce could do was laugh so hard they could barely sit upright anymore. Ohm got up to get Delirious a glass of water. Meanwhile, Gorillaphent was wondering why he hung out with these people. And Squirrel looked way to proud of himself.
Luckily, the rest of dinner went by uneventful. That could be because Ohm threatened to kick out anybody who made another inappropriate joke while they were eating. Delirious and Bryce ended up getting to break the wishbone, with Bryce getting the biggest part.
After dinner, they made their way over to the living room. Delirious and Squirrel complaining about how their stomachs ached. “Shouldn’t have taken another piece of pie,” Bryce said, taking place on the sofa. “But it was so delicious,” Delirious said, letting himself fall in the recliner. “Amen,” Squirrel said as he laid on the floor.
“Well you guys seem pretty stuffed,” Cartoonz said with a grin, earning him several groans. “Will you ever stop?” Bryce asked. “Nope!” Cartoonz said popping the p. He put on some music as background noise before heading back to the dining room to help Ohm clean. They packed all the left overs into microwaveable food containers and put them in the fridge.
“I’d say dinner was a success,” Ohm says, looking proudly at what little left overs they had. It was still enough for another dinner for the two of them. Maybe even three people, depending on if Delirious stopped by again soon. “It was absolutely amazing,” Cartoonz said, hugging Ohm from behind,” You did amazing.”
“You did too,” Ohm said, pecking Cartoonz on the cheek. The other man chuckled. “Well, we do make a good team,” he said, kissing Ohm back. “We sure are.”
They stood there for a moment, relishing in the comfortable silence. “If you two lovebirds are done, how about we open up some presents?” Gorillaphent said, leaning in the doorway. The couple laughed and joined Rilla in the living room.
Delirious and Bryce were discussing who had who as Secret Santa and Squirrel was still laying on the ground. He looked like he was asleep, until he sat upright when the others returned. Once they were all seated, the exchange of gifts could begin.
“Who wants to begin?” Ohm asked and Squirrel’s response was immediate. “Me! Me! Me!” Cartoonz ruffled his hair. “Calm down, little Squirrelium.” Squirrel chuckled and picked up the dark blue wrapped present with a gold bow. “Here ya go,” he said, handing it to Delirious.
The other looked surprised, but took the present. He laughed once he opened it to find Star Wars themed gifts. The box contained one of those mugs that, once containing heated liquid, reveals an image of the Mandalorian with baby Yoda. The present also consisted of 3 pair of socks with different Star Wars patterns and a Yoda covered pair of underwear.
“I hope I got the right size,” Squirrel said, his cheeks a faint shade of red. Delirious checked the labels of the socks and underpants. “Yeah, you got it right,” he said, giving him a smile. Squirrel gave a shy smile back.
“My turn!” Delirious said and picked out the purple coloured present. It was badly wrapped and full of tape, but he tried his best and Rilla knew that. “Thank you,” he said as he took his gift. It turned out to be a limited H2ODelirious cap and tickets to a baseball game. Rilla thanked him again, trying on the cap. Then he gave Bryce his present, a light blue bag with stars.
The young man laughed as he took out a t-shirt with a print of his Among Us character, halo and dog included, with the text ‘I am the Impostor’. “That’s awesome,” he said with a laugh,” Thank you.” Rilla smiled. “I had it printed,” he said,” but there’s more in there.”
Bryce made a happy sound and stuck his head back into the bag. He pulled out all kinds of candy bars and an Among Us keychain. “Thanks Rilla!” he said, then grabbed his present for Cartoonz. The bearded man thanked him and unwrapped the quit big and flat looking present.
It was a photo frame.
It was a collage and it contained all kinds of pictures of him and his friend. There were some of the whole group, some of him and one of them, but most of them were of him and Ohm. In the middle of the collage was a big picture of him and Ohm cuddling on the couch, their pets laying on top of them. They had fallen asleep during movie night with Delirious.
It was silent as Cartoonz gazed at his present, eyes lingering on the picture in the middle. Then he looked at Ohm beside him and finally his eyes landed on Bryce. “Thank you,” he said softly. He carefully stood up to place his gift on the nearby cupboard. He’d have to find a good place to hang it up later.
Once he sat back down he grabbed the green wrapped present and handed it to Ohm. “Happy Thanksgiving, bunny,” he said and gave him a kiss. “Thank you,” Ohm said, smiling. He took the lid off of the box and took out its content. It was a soft plushie bunny. It was around 40 cm big, white fur and big floppy ears.
“I love it,” Ohm said, hugging it to his chest. “I’m happy you like it,” Cartoonz said,” I had it made especially for you.” Ohm gave him such a loving look, it almost made him melt on the spot. “That’s so cute,” Delirious said, slightly breaking the atmosphere. They all looked at him with various expressions of disappointment or amusement.
“What?”
Bryce groaned. “You ruined the moment,” he said laughing at Delirious’ confused look. The other started to stammer as he tried to deny it. Squirrel laughing at him didn’t help. “You know,” Cartoonz said, getting the attention back,” I stuffed it myself.”
There was a cacophony of laughter, groans and ‘oh my god’s following his statement. Ohm sighed, then laughed. Oh well, he did love that crazy, at times very inappropriate man. After they calmed down, Ohm handed Squirrel his present. He barely released it before Squirrel was unwrapping it excitedly.
His expression turned from excitement to confused and eventually to amused. He shook the box, making all the acorns rattle. He then started digging through them in search of his presents. “Aww, thank you,” he said after he opened up his presents,” That’s so thoughtful.” He gave Ohm a hug, who smiled happily. He was just relieved Squirrel liked his gifts.
After they had opened all their gifts, they watched a Christmas movie and drank some hot cacao. Squirrel stuffed his mug full of mini marshmallows, but ended up sharing at least half of them with Delirious. Even though Delirious had claimed he didn’t like marshmallows, he couldn’t say no to the younger man. Gorillaphent didn’t get hallway before feeling -ahem- stuffed, so he handed his mug to Bryce who happily drank the rest of it.
Ohm took out blankets and they all snuggled up cosy and warm. While the movie was playing, Ohm felt his eyelids grow heavy. But, not willing the day to end, he forced himself to wake up and focus on the movie. He heard Cartoonz softly chuckle and felt a kiss placed on top of his head. He didn’t mind the arms wrapping around him.
After the movie ended, they decided to go to bed. They all felt tired, yet content. Squirrel and Delirious took the couch and the air mattress in the living room, while Bryce joined Rilla in the spare bedroom. Once they bid everyone a good night and brushed their teeth, Cartoonz and Ohm went to their own room.
Ohm sat on the side of the bed for a moment, simply thinking. For a very first Thanksgiving, all went well. He was thankful for his friends all coming over to celebrate it with him. He was thankful for the gifts and the time they shared. He was thankful for this moment of happiness he was blessed with. And most of all, he was thankful for the amazing man that was his partner.
He loved Cartoonz dearly and he couldn’t be more grateful for the love and support he gave him. He hugged the plush bunny tighter. How could he ever be more grateful for what his life had become? And he got to share it with the most amazing person and best friend he could’ve asked for. As he felt arms wrap around him, pulling him into bed and against a warm, body, he knew.
He knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t, let go of the other, as he felt him kiss him on the head. He knew he could never really tell him how much he meant to him. And as he looked into loving eyes, he knew. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.
And he couldn’t wait for all the Thanksgivings and Holidays to come.