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“What are you doing?”
Eddie’s voice drifts up to Buck, where he’s got his head in their loft and he wriggles around until he can move and look down at his husband. Eddie’s standing there with his hands on his hips, a pout on his beautiful lips as he watches Buck carefully.
“I’m getting our Christmas decorations ready,” he says, because, really, Eddie is being silly even asking.
“It’s the last day in November!”
“Exactly! Elfie is coming tonight and she should really bring the decorations and advent calendars, right?”
There’s silence, as they both stare at each other until Eddie heaves a sigh and holds his arms up. “Come on then, let’s get things sorted so we can go to bed too like our kids.”
Buck grins, finds the next box he wants and hands it down to Eddie, stealing a kiss for good measure. Eddie rolls his eyes good naturedly and takes the box into the lounge.
Buck knows it’s probably overkill, but this is their first Christmas as a family of four, since Eddie had rescued Felicity from a fire and they’d adopted her. Christopher is excited to have a little sister to experience Christmas with and Buck would be lying if he said he wasn’t either. They’ve planned the elf on the shelf, all the way through December, and this is the first night and it makes sense for the elf to bring the Christmas tree from the North Pole, right? And Buck cannot wait to see Felicity’s face when she wakes up as well.
It takes them a while to get the decorations out, mainly because Eddie keeps stopping to kiss Buck and Buck can’t resist him at the best of times, let alone when he’s smiley and happy. Eddie loves Christmas and loves dressing up the house and so there’s loads of cushions, blankets, ornaments that shine and twinkle and olay music to put out, plus the new plushie singing and dancing Christmas figurines that Christopher insisted they buy and Felicity spent an entire night just setting them off one after the other. They’re probably going to drive Buck crazy over the Christmas period but he can’t refuse his children anything and so he knows they’ll have to put up with it. Then, finally the tree, crowned with the three decorations that he, Eddie and Christopher had made years ago now, when they were brand new and just starting, their first Christmas as a three. Next year, they’ll add one for Felicity, when she can make her own and Buck can’t wait for that either.
When Eddie is sorting out the lights and the tinsel, Buck slips into their bedroom and grabs the elf on the shelf that Christopher picked out secretly a few weeks ago. He’d named her Elfie and she’s been living in their bedside table but now it’s the 1st December she can be seen. He also grabs the advent calendars for the kids, chocolate ones that he and Eddie snuck into the house. Felicity is obsessed with chocolate now and Christopher is never too old for one either, or so he’d told Buck when he’d been pretending he wasn’t as excited over Christmas this year. When he carries everything back out, he has to stop and watch Eddie, kneeling in front of the tree, his heart full. He gets this, he gets his kids and a husband who loves him and who he adores in turn and when Eddie turns and catches his eyes, he holds his hand out and says nothing, realising Buck is overwhelmed. They kneel on the carpet, the tree lights catching over their skin as Eddie holds Buck close and then kisses him until he can breathe again.
But then they have the fun of making Elfie do what the elf on the shelf does, setting out the advent calendars and then draping toilet roll around the tree, leaving some attached to her hand. Buck’s made plans for all the days, right up to Christmas Eve with the boxes he’s made for all of them. He knows Eddie thinks Felicity may be a little too young, but he can’t help himself and Eddie’s not saying anything, just helping Buck make sure that everything is set up.
“You know she’s going to be amazed, right?” Eddie asks when they finally stand back and look at the room and it’s so Christmassy that it’s perfect. Buck was in the process of grabbing his phone to take photos for Maddie who has gone all out for Jee too this year, but at Eddie’s soft words he stops and turns, to find his husband biting his lip as he stares at Buck, unabashed adoration written over his face. “You’re the best dad, Evan. Our kids and I, we’re so lucky to have you, Christmas and our lives wouldn’t be the same without you.”
He steps closer to Eddie, pulls him into his arms, his throat clicking with emotion that he sees reflected back at him. “Same to you, baby,” he murmurs and smiles into the kiss that Eddie gives him.
The next morning, they’re woken up by squeals of joy from the lounge and when Buck gets out of bed, his hair a curly mess and rubbing at his eyes, it’s to see that Christopher and Felicity have found the elf and the tree and she’s so excited. Christopher is sitting on the floor with her in his lap, explaining to her about the ornaments and the tree and the elf who is sitting in front of them, regarding them with careful eyes, and it’s so adorable Buck doesn’t even move from the doorway, letting the two of them have this moment. He feels Eddie’s arms come around his stomach, his soft kiss to Buck’s jaw as they both watch their kids, how Christopher is so sweet and loving and his Felicity watches him like he’s hung the stars and the moon in her sky. He has to blink back tears at the sight.
“She’s so happy, after everything she’s been through,” he whispers to Eddie.
“Yeah,” Eddie also sounds choked up. “And we’re going to make this Christmas the best for both of them.”
“I have a list.”
“Yeah, I know,” Eddie sounds so fond, kisses his ear and Buck just melts. “I can’t wait, baby.”
Throughout the month of December there’s more firsts that happen. They take Felicity to see Santa. Elfie goes absolutely crazy, and Buck has so much fun finding things for her to do that even Christopher is eager to see every morning what’s happened. She climbs the doorway using bows from the presents that have magically been stuck to the wall, ending up at the exact same height as Buck, she has a marshmallow spa, she wraps herself in toilet roll and makes a mess all through the house, she takes a selfie with Eddie’s phone, she gets caught with her hand in Christopher’s old money box, she has a tea party with all of Felicity’s dolls and stuffed toys, and the funniest one, she farts in a jar and leaves it for the kids to smell. Felicity loves every single morning and Buck thrives on the way she laughs loud and sweet. They go to the local parks Christmas light switch on, with the kids bundled up in warm coats and hats and Eddie’s hand in his to keep them warm too. But the nicest thing is being able to snuggle together on the couch and watch Christmas shows and movies on tv. Christopher allows himself to be included in the cuddle pile, with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies and it’s the most perfect run up to Christmas Buck thinks he’s ever experienced. Felicity is wide eyed, Christopher is being the best big brother and seeing it through their eyes makes it more special and magical than ever.
The way Eddie watches him, heat and love and desire and adoration over every single pore of his face, also makes the season special too and he knows, he just knows that this year is going to be hard to top ever.