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home for the holidays
[soldier X prince]
Ken and his Majesty were staying home for the holidays. The month of Weschrun was almost ending, and each home in Athenaeas was getting busy preparing for the New Year’s Eve feast. The palace, of course, was not an exception. But that holiday was particularly special. It was, after all, Athenaeas’ first year with their new King and King Consort. It was also Ken and Josh’s first New Year feast as a family.
“Should we open the Western gates as well, Your Majesty? To accommodate the expected influx of guests,” asked the lieutenant to Josh just as Ken approached. The man was wearing the thick white winter coat for the army—a stark contrast to his handsome dark brown skin and ebony locks.
His Majesty looked up from the papers Prince Paulo was showing him. He looked cold. Though he was covered in his elegant, black furred coat and boots, Josh’s cute potato nose still glowed bright red from the cold. They had been planning to open the palace courtyard for the citizens of Aethen during the New Year’s Eve feast, and the King and his most trusted adviser had been pouring over the plans for the stalls and showcases to be installed.
Ken understood the importance of this event, but he still could not understand why they took their discussion out there. What could easily have been a meeting by the warm fireplace in the King’s tower now happened in the middle of the cold courtyard that wintry evening.
“Do we have enough soldiers on duty during the New Year?” Josh asked Prince Paulo. His breath dissipated into thin vapor as he spoke.
“Hmm…” the second prince hummed, also making thin wisps in the air. “Yes, I think we do. The new batch of recruits is shaping up nicely, so we can assign them to man the gates.”
“I see. Then, put in a request on that tomorrow, lieutenant.”
“Understood, Your Majesty. Please excuse me, then,” replied the lieutenant before walking away.
“By the way, Paulo, about the menu for tomorrow. Don’t you think the Athenaean apple pies were a little unsavory? They weren’t quite as good at the tasting.”
“It tasted fine to me, brother,” Prince Paulo answered. His eyebrows were furrowed, but he gave the King a rare amused smile. “I believe that was just your dysfunctional taste buds.”
Josh seemed to take a second to understand. He blushed. From behind them, Ken blushed, too.
“Ah, it could be…”
“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, my King,” Ken spoke, almost stuttering, as he stepped closer to them. His approach made the siblings turn to him, and he was met with Josh’s warmest, most welcoming smile.
“Your Highness,” greeted Prince Paulo. “What brings you here?”
“Prince Justin requests your presence at his tower, my prince,” he replied with a smile. “He says there is a matter he wishes to discuss with you in private.”
The second prince raised an eyebrow. “And he sent you to call me?”
“Yes, sire.”
“You, the King Consort?”
“Ah.” Ken gave him an apologetic smile. “I was… on the way here, so…”
“We have pages and servants for such small matters, Your Highness. Or have you forgotten that you are no longer just a soldier here?” Prince Paulo sighed, earning a small chuckle from the Grand Omega. “Well then, I’ll go to our dear youngest. In exchange, keep my brother company, Your Highness. And make sure he eats dinner. Gods know he’s too stubborn to just leave all this legwork to us.”
“Paulo…”
“I shall take my leave, Your Highness, my King.”
Before Josh could continue whatever retort he had, Prince Paulo turned his back and walked away. He left a still silence over Ken and Josh, the lull of hardworking men and women humming in the background.
As the soldier watched Prince Paulo’s figure disappear behind the stone walls of the palace, he noticed that his gloved hands were now holding Josh’s bare fingers. He only realized it when he recognized the feel of Josh’s calloused hands. That had been a common occurrence in recent months. Ken would stand near his husband and he would find their hands intertwined without them knowing they had moved.
He smiled at the realization, warmth settling inside the hearth of his stomach.
“Hello, heart,” Josh greeted as he turned back to Ken. The King put Ken’s palm to his cheek that was cold even through Ken’s gloves. “You’ve come here for me?”
Ken cupped both Josh’s cheeks. “Yes. You’re cold.”
“Only a little,” Josh replied, scrunching his reddish nose. “What did you see me for?”
“Presents.” Ken dug into his pocket and pulled out a ball of fluff that was black and red and gold. “This came with my package from Evlyn.”
“What is that?” Josh asked.
Without responding, Ken grinned and took the King’s hands, putting on it the ball he had taken out. He slipped Josh’s fingers into cozy pockets, the knitted gloves fitting his hand quite well and warm.
“Gloves!” exclaimed the omega.
Ken grinned. “Yeah. Kheema sent it with their wedding invitation. Mother probably figured you would be cold and made this for you.”
“She made this for me?” asked Josh, eyes going wide.
“Yeah. Mother likes knitting things,” Ken replied. “You’ll find out soon just how much.”
“This is… very sweet of her.” Josh looked at his gloved hands, cheeks also turning bright pink. “I appreciate it.”
He sniffed and put the warm gloves to his cheeks, looking like a child who had been given the greatest gift.
Family was one of the things Josh was most emotional about, Ken found. After they got married, he could not quite get used to having two mothers and seven sisters who doted on him more than they did Ken. Ken had seen time and again how Josh would look so smitten whenever Zuri writes him a letter or when any of Ken’s dayang sisters sends the King a small gift by falcon. In their bedroom, Josh had a small corner in the drawers where he kept all those sentimental gifts from his new family. He probably still found it overwhelming—in a good way—that so many people loved him. The greatest of that love, if Ken could be so bold, was from his alpha husband.
“We should send them a gift as well, heart,” Josh told Ken after sniffing through his red nose again. “Kheema likes dresses, doesn’t she? And mother… I think a new quill and inks. Books. What do you think?”
Josh’s smile was so bright, it was second only to how red his cheeks and nose were.
Ken frowned.
He unbuttoned his thick second coat in a second, leaving only the same winter army uniform around his body. Unfurling it, Ken threw it around the King’s shoulders and wrapped him around in it. The human caterpillar that was the King blinked inside his white cocoon, the black fur from his coat sticking out of it.
Josh raised his eyebrows as Ken fixed his fringe and the crown on his head, but he did not move.
“I think… that you’re cold.” Ken put his hands on Josh’s flushed cheeks. “And that you need to come inside.”
“Alpha,” Josh teased, smiling a mesmerizing wide smile that made his eyes disappear, “you’re hovering over me too much. I’m alright.”
“I know you are. But you’re bundling up for two now, heart.” Ken’s hands slid down to Josh’s abdomen, now rounder with the miracle that came to them that fall. “We don’t want the baby to get cold.”
Josh’s lips turned into a perfect ‘O’, his cheeks flushed redder, and his eyes sparkled with giddy emotion.
His hands slid to join Ken’s, and he looked at his belly like he could not believe it was there.
“Our baby. Our autumn miracle…” Josh’s eyes met his alpha’s. “I apologize, I… I forget I have our little bud with me now.”
That made Ken smile. “I know. That’s why I keep reminding you.”
“How dependable, Your Highness…”
“Can we go back inside, then?”
“Not until I’m finished here, I’m afraid.”
“Do you have to oversee all these preparations? ‘We have pages and servants for those things, you know?’” Ken said in the same cadence as Prince Paulo and grinned.
“Did you just imitate my brother? Poorly?”
“Maybe? If I said ‘yes’, will you come back inside?”
Josh smiled back wider. “Oh, alright. I guess… it is a little cold.”
Ken put one arm around Josh’s shoulders while the other cradled his husband’s stomach. Josh inched closer into his warmth, letting himself be led into the palace.
When they were halfway into the entrance, Ken realized half of the workforce in the courtyard turned their heads at them, with looks ranging from amused to teasing to internal squealing. As King Consort, Ken thought it was only appropriate to dismiss them, so he said, ‘As you were.’ But his tongue tripped on itself, and he stuttered at each word, earning only laughs from his subjects.
Josh chuckled at him. “You’ll get there, heart.”
“We’ll see about that,” Ken replied. “It will take a while before I’m a good consort.”
“You’re a marvelous husband, though? And great father… Soon.”
“Thank you,” Ken said, cheeks warm.
“And will my marvelous husband make me seafood chowder?” Josh asked.
“Seafood chowder?”
Josh nodded. “I’ve been craving it for a while now.”
“Uhm…” Ken’s mind went through how likely he will get the ingredients for chowder in the landlocked city of Aethen. But he said, “Okay.”
Josh smiled like it was the greatest thing in the world.
So, Ken took his husband into the warmth of the palace to cook dinner for his family of two… and a half.
[ceo X foreman]
How chaotic!
Christmas and Christmas dinners have always been busy for Ken. Usually, he would spend it partying with friends or having a meeting with colleagues. Sometimes, he would visit KS in Madrid and spend the rest of the holidays there. Since he got together with Josh, it had become their tradition to spend dinners with his foreman on the 25th, as Josh would spend the holidays with his family.
But this year, it was different. After three years of being together, a lot of convincing, and one personal invitation from Josh’s mother, Ken found himself celebrating the Christmas eve dinner with Josh’s childhood home. It was also the first time he had met Josh’s mother in person, as well as the foreman’s four other siblings. Not to mention the families of two of his younger brothers and all the Santos family’s neighbors.
It was the most chaotic gathering the CEO had ever been! Unlike the peaceful Christmases he had spent in the past, Christmas dinner at Josh’s was filled with home cooking, yelling, children laughing, and several uncomfortable questions from the foreman’s family members. All around them was the ruckus of people singing karaoke, guests eating and running, dogs barking, and neighbors peeking at Josh’s ‘rich gay lover with the cool car’.
Ken easily maneuvered through the conversation and attention with his charisma; still, the lively atmosphere was as surprising as it was amusing.
“So…” Josh heaved a sigh and opened the door to the only room of the apartment. “Inside.”
“Thank you,” Ken said.
Josh led him into the bedroom, which was just a small square space devoid of any decoration. The only thing there was a queen-sized bed, a large wardrobe that looked like it was vomiting the clothes stuffed inside, a small, very old vanity with a broken mirror, and several school bags and shoes strewn on the floor.
The foreman gestured to the entirety of the mess, which was the third—and last—stop of the brief house tour.
“So… this is the bedroom. Er, we… we all share it,” he explained in a flat tone that could not hide his embarrassment.
“All six of you?” came Ken’s reply.
“Seven,” Josh corrected. “Back when my dad was still alive.”
“Ah.”
Ken looked around at the small room, imagining how his tiny angel could have fit in there with his siblings and their mother. The background noise was drowned by the stillness in his mind as he took in the details of the room.
He looked at his lover and asked, “On which side of the bed do you sleep on, love?”
“The, uh… The outer edge. Near the wardrobe.”
Ken let go of Josh’s hand that he was holding and walked over to the edge Josh pointed to.
He sat down on the thin mattress, looking at the opposite wall for a second. Two seconds. Then, Ken laid his back on Josh’s side of the bed, closing his eyes. His feet dangled off the edge, and he knew if he moved on his side, he would fall off the bed. But despite that and the Christmas chaos all around them, his lips broke out in a small smile.
“I-It’s small, isn’t it?” came Josh’s comment. “And… And it’s rowdy. Sorry if it’s rowdy.”
“Angel?” Ken asked, eyes still closed, lips still smiling.
“Yes?”
Ken opened his eyes and met Josh’s insecure ones. He reassured his lover with a wider smile.
Without lifting his back, Ken reached out to hold Josh’s hand and pulled him down to sit beside him on the bed. They were quiet.
“It is small,” Ken began. “And quite chaotic. I won’t lie.”
“S-Sorry. You must be tired,” Josh replied. “If you want to go home—”
“But I don’t.”
Ken closed his eyes, smile still wide. He did not let go of Josh’s hand and clutched it tight. He sighed.
“It’s small and loud and chaotic. But love, it’s warm,” he said.
The silence was Josh waiting on his next words.
“I think I’ve spent… three—no, maybe five? Definitely less than ten in total. Ten Christmases with my family,” Ken began. In his mind, a movie of his childhood Christmas celebrations played in black and white. “He was always working. Always busy. So, most Christmases when I was a child, I would spend alone or with the servants.”
“Really?”
“Really. I grew up, of course. And then, my Christmases would be spent working. Or alone, since all my friends celebrate with their families after our parties. Heavens know, I never dared spend the holidays with my exes and their families.”
“Hm…”
Ken sighed in deeply. The smell of dust and mothballs tickled his nostrils. But so did the scent of homecooked meals, remnants of fireworks that had long been burnt, and years of memories.
“I like this small and warm space. And I love that it’s lively this Christmas,” Ken told Josh. “And celebrating it in the house you grew up in… it makes me feel content, love. So, you don’t have to worry.”
Ken opened his eyes, and all he could see in Josh’s was concern.
And then, the foreman, without prompt or preamble, ducked down to kiss Ken’s forehead. The CEO smiled. He let the foreman pull back slightly before ducking down again, this time to plant a small kiss on his lips.
How warm that tiny space was, indeed. How warm the entire day of shopping for gifts and meeting everyone else had been, as well. What used to be ‘just another day’ to Ken became extra special. He was grateful Josh had agreed to let him stay at their home for the holidays. He was grateful Josh had agreed to spend all the previous 25th dinners with him. He was grateful they would be spending all the next Christmases together, as well.
Christmas. What a season to be jolly. Ken understood it now with warm content.
When Josh pulled back, there were so many thoughts and emotions swimming in his brown eyes. As Ken looked straight at them, he could understand somehow, though he knew Josh will never say them out loud.
So, Ken just thumbed his cheek and said, “Thank you, angel. I’m okay.”
“I know,” Josh replied. His lips grew to a wide smile, too. “There’s something you need to know, though.”
“Hm? And what is that?”
The grin was almost cocky. “On my side of the bed… is where the cockroaches like to pass by.”
“Woah!” Ken immediately shot back up. Josh laughed. “You could have told me before I laid down, angel!”
“I know. But it’s more fun to tease you, too,” Josh said.
There was a brief moment of silence as the foreman bit his lip. He took Ken’s hand and seemed a little pensive.
“Do you… really like visiting here, KJ?” he asked.
“I would like to, if they would let me,” Ken answered in all honesty.
Josh nodded. “Let’s visit more often, then. When you’re free.”
“I would love that, angel!” Ken exclaimed. In a calmer tone, he added, “I would love that…”
“Me, too.” Josh smiled. “Now, come on. I bet you’ll be glad to watch my mom cook!”
Josh led Ken back out into the chaos, into the crowd, into the warm celebration. Not once did he let go of Ken’s hand.
[idol X engineer]
“Hey, guys! Merry Christmas over there!” Josh heard Ken greet with energy at the camera. “It’s… Well, it’s still seven in the morning here. Sun just came out, so I’m a little groggy—hi! Hi. Hi, over there. Yeah, I’m doing well. Thanks!”
Josh just laughed, leaning over the counter as he watched his husband do a live chat in his pajamas. Ken was no longer an idol—at least, for the moment—but that did not stop him from interacting with his fans. So, even if Josh had gotten barely enough sleep, they both had to wake up so Ken could go live and Josh could support him… by making him breakfast.
“‘Where are you spending the holidays?’ asks Kesha Barrios. Hello, Kesha Barrios. I’m home for the holidays. I mean, here. My home in California.” Ken’s cheeks just turned a smidge redder as he said that. “Cooking? Oh, we won’t have Christmas eve until a few hours for now. But we’ll be visiting a friend’s house and having dinner there.”
Their coffee maker had stopped whirring, telling Josh their brew was complete. All that was left now was for him to get some toast, smear the surface with peanut butter and jelly, then slide it over to Ken.
“Ah, you can hear clinking dishes?” Ken laughed. “Well, I just woke up. I’m in our kitchen. My, uh…” He smiled while turning to Josh. The engineer just rolled his eyes. “My… My boyfriend is making me breakfast… You wanna see him? No way.”
Josh snorted through his nose while scooping from the bottom of the peanut butter bottle. We need to buy a new one today, he thought while Ken’s voice droned on in the background.
Because it was the 24th, Josh could ask for some time off his lab duties to just stay home with his husband. He did not want Ken to be alone that day, and on Christmas eve, too. So, he finished all his tasks the day before to spend some quality time together… while his husband spent the first hour with his fans, apparently.
Josh just chuckled while Ken switched on being an idol for the hour. Ken was only wearing his cartoon chicken print pajama top and his boxers, but he still managed to be the most dazzling man Josh had ever seen. The way he laughed and smirked for his fans, the joy in his eyes reading their greetings and questions. Even the way he would be coy whenever there was a question about his ‘non-showbiz boyfriend’ was more charming than the first day of snow. Not that it ever snowed in Berkeley, though.
Seeing him like that was precious to Josh. Whether he admitted it or not, Ken was in his element when he was performing or being with his fans. That was a part of him that Josh had and still does love. It still saddens him that Ken had to put it on hold for a little while, but Josh promised when he had finished his doctorate, Ken would never have to stop performing until he chose to.
As the sound of his husband having fun and chatting with his fans droned on in the background, Josh finished making the toast, even frying some bacon and eggs. They were not burnt that time, thank gods. Taking a plate in one hand and grabbing the double-size coffee cup he shared with Ken in the other, Josh slid the food over to his husband and gave him a wink.
“And food is served! He didn’t burn it, hallelujah!” Ken announced to his fans.
“Jerk.”
“Nerd.”
Josh was about to walk away and take his own breakfast when Ken grabbed his wrist and pulled him in for a quick kiss. In front of his fans.
“Mm. Tastes good, too.”
“What the fuck, Ken?!”
He just grinned.
“I swear, you’re such a handful!”
“Haha! Love you, baby.” Ken turned back to his camera. “Anyway. I guess I’ll join you guys for your Christmas dinner. Or breakfast. Cheers!”
“For the love of—”
Shaking his head, Josh made sure the chair scraped the tiles as he dragged it. Ken cringed but just looked at him as he took the adjacent seat.
While they enjoyed their simple breakfast, Josh listened to Ken read greetings from his fans, greetings for Josh, wishing them both good health and blessings. Josh could see comments asking Ken to show Josh on the camera, but Ken seemed to ignore them all. Instead, he focused on questions about his music, on whether he was planning to release an EP soon, or maybe even a new music video. The fans have apparently heard of the international label that had gotten in touch with Ken, and they talked about that, too. But not in detail, though.
Josh watched quietly from the side, munching on his food. He would reach over past Ken, arm purposefully disturbing the live chat, to take their coffee mug and drink from it. In retaliation, Ken had forked his bacon and eaten it in front of the fans. Not once did Ken seem tired or sad. He was just glowing with happiness at being able to interact with his supporters again.
As scheduled, Ken ended his live chat an hour later, saying his goodbyes to the fans and promising them he will update them soon. When he had ended the stream, he put his phone down and leaned over to Josh, head resting on the engineer’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you want me to tell them that we’re married?” was his question.
Josh finished the last dregs of coffee before setting the mug down on the table. “Because some of your fans are rabid. And I don’t need that kind of stress in my life right now.”
“You think I’m not gonna protect you?”
“I know you will. That’s what I’m scared of. That you’ll bare your fangs at your own fans.”
Ken humph-ed. “If they’re my real fans, they’d be happy that I’m married.”
“Your normal fans, maybe. Your fans who’re sick in the head? Not so much.”
“Geez. And I wanted to show you off, too.”
Josh chuckled. “That was why you kissed me on the stream, wasn’t it?”
Ken sounded like he was grinning, too. “Maybe?”
“You dork.”
“Your dork.”
Josh sniggered. He nudged Ken’s head with his shoulder to make him sit up straight. When Ken did, it was Josh’s turn to lay his head on Ken’s shoulder.
“Promise, when I’m ready to make a press release, I’ll tell you. Just not right now.”
“Fiiine,” Ken replied with a whiny tone. But he planted a kiss on Josh’s forehead. “At least, I can show you off to my parents.”
“Haha, good for you,” Josh commented. “So… what should we do until dinner tonight?”
“Hm… I think we need to go to the supermarket. Pick up a few things.”
“Mm, right. And gifts for Dan’s parents.”
“Right.”
“And then, should we just stay here doing nothing?”
Ken wrapped both arms around Josh’s shoulders and hugged him. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
The weather in Berkeley that day was cold and rainy. But it did not stop the Christmas spirit that abound. After they spent an hour at the supermarket and the department store, Josh and Ken returned home to melt into the warmth of their living room, watching anime and playing on their X-box.
That was a good way to spend the first Christmas with his husband, Josh thought.
[surfer boy X writer]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas~
Ken looked at himself in front of the bathroom mirror. Left side. Right side. He sighed.
“Ken?”
Taking the comb, Ken brushed his hair and parted it—the other side, this time. Then, he looked at his reflection in the mirror again, still not satisfied.
“Felip Jhon, what on earth is taking so long?”
Josh finished his sentence and slammed their bathroom door open. Surprised, surfer boy flinched and dropped his comb onto the sink, along with the various products he had been using on his hair the last fifteen minutes.
The writer took him in from head to toe and smirked. “Well, hello, hot stuff. Where’s the party?”
“Josh…” Ken whined.
“Yes?”
Ken took a deep breath in and spread his hands out. “Do you think I look better with my hair parted to the left or to the right?”
“What?” Josh barked.
“I’m serious…!”
“Ken…” Josh took two steps forward and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ken, we’re just going to have dinner—”
“With your parents!”
“Here at home!”
“But with your parents!” Ken exclaimed. “I wanna look good.”
Josh chuckled.
“Hun… You always look good to me,” he said. “And it’s just a simple Christmas dinner. My parents will be so casual, and here you are, looking like you’ll be meeting the President.”
Ken looked down at his button-up dress shirt that was tucked into his slacks. He had spent the afternoon ironing his clothes and polishing his shoes—the expensive, shiny ones—because, in his mind, he did not want Josh’s parents to say anything bad about him.
But maybe he did overprepare just a little.
Josh seemed to know exactly what was going on in Ken’s head. The writer took Ken’s hands in his and flipped them over, showing the fresh cuts and calluses on them. He smiled.
“‘It is only with the heart that one can see rightly’,” Josh quoted, thumbing Ken’s palm.
He looked up at surfer boy, waiting for him to fill in the rest.
Ken obliged… eventually.
“‘What is essential is invisible to the eye’,” Ken finished.
The writer nodded.
“You put up a huge Christmas tree and decorated the house with lights for my mom because you know she loves them, and I’m too lazy to put them up. You also learned how to cook her favorite meals and bake her favorite cake,” Josh began, smiling. “You saved up for expensive Christmas presents for my parents and my adoptive siblings… And now, you’re dressed to the nines. All while you were busy with exams and work. Ken, you don’t just look good, you are good. You’re the best.
“I’m nervous about you meeting my parents, too, but I know they’ll love you. As for your fashion…” Josh gestured to the ensemble Ken was wearing from top to bottom. “It’s impeccable, hun. Compared to my dad… well… remember what you said about his fashion sense?”
Ken pouted. “It’s… horrible.”
“Yes…” Josh said with a chuckle. “So, really. Steve doesn’t know a thing about fashion. Trust me, you can wear a garbage bag and he’ll think nothing of it.”
“But your mom has great fashion sense.”
“But mom already loves you,” Josh told him, slow as if to make him understand.
Josh reached up to ruffle the hair that Ken had worked on for several minutes. He combed his fingers through it, pushed it back, ruffled it again.
Then, he said, “Though, I guess I am partial to seeing you with your hair down.”
That made Ken grin.
It made him grin because it felt like Josh could care less about outward appearances and pretentions and all those things Ken did to try to impress the writer’s parents. It made him grin because Josh could cut someone with his words a lot of the time, but he could always manage to stitch up Ken’s spirit just by opening his mouth. It made him grin because Ken suddenly felt stupid for being someone else when he was best at being himself.
It made him grin because while his thoughts went on to enumerate the things to be grateful for that Christmas, Josh wrapped his arms like a ribbon around Ken’s neck and kissed him. Kissed him like they were under a mistletoe.
Warm and sweet and sending happy tingles to his tummy, Josh’s soft kisses managed to take away the worst of Ken’s nervousness until he was calm enough to pull his writer into a hug.
The doorbell rang.
“Oh! That would be them!” Josh exclaimed, patting Ken’s back. “You might want to change into something more casual, Ken.”
Ken pursed his lips. “Yeah, okay…”
Surfer boy took off his formalwear and shoes and slipped into a comfortable Christmas sweater—“Hey! We match!” Josh said when he saw what Ken was wearing—and pants. Then, Ken gathered the gifts he had prepared for Josh’s parents from the bedroom and put them under the Christmas tree in the living room. And holding Josh’s hand, they walked to the entryway to welcome their guests.
“Are you nervous?” Josh asked Ken just as they were about to open the door.
“A little,” he replied.
“Yeah. Me, too.”
They both took deep breaths at the same time.
Josh opened the door.
“Hi, baby!” cried a high female voice.
Ken could not even process what was happening before a figure stepped in and took Josh in her arms.
“Hi, Anne,” Josh replied with a smile in his voice. Without letting go of Ken’s hand, he put his other arm around their visitor and hugged her.
“Oh, darling, I missed you so much!” Anne pulled back to smile at Josh. Her greying bob fell neatly above her shoulders, swaying with every excited move she made.
They were not family, but Ken could see Josh’s eyes in hers. They glowed with her mint green sweater.
“Ken…” she then said as she turned to Ken.
A smile made its way across surfer boy’s face. “H-Hi, Anne.”
“Oh! You’re so handsome!” she said, pulling him down now to hug him. “Steve? Steve, come in here!”
“Yes, yes. I’m here. Hello, gents,” came a second voice from behind the door, and Steve, Josh’s father came in with a huge smile on his face. “Hello, young man. It’s nice to finally see you outside of the screen.”
“Yes. Hello, sir. Nice to meet you, too, sir.”
“D’oh! Don’t be so formal!” Steve pat Ken’s back with a bony hand. The crow’s feet around his eyes deepened when he smiled. Josh’s smile. “Come on, it’s Christmas dinner! We should loosen up!”
Ken just nodded and nodded at him, heart hammering in his chest. There was no way he would be able to loosen up that quickly. He was too nervous.
If only he could calm himself down.
“Ahm… Excuse me?”
A new voice from outside made all four of them look to the open door. Two people were standing there, dressed in casual clothing and carrying a large bag of what looked like presents.
Recognizing them, Ken was about to talk. But his voice got stuck in his throat.
“Hey, ‘nak,” said the man right outside the door. He smiled at Ken as if he was just as surprised as surfer boy was feeling.
Ken doubted it, though. Because how in the world were his parents outside the door?
“Pa?!”
Ken’s father laughed. Behind him, Ken’s mother chuckled a little, too. Soon, Ken heard the sound of Josh’s giggles and the warmth of his lover’s hand around his.
“Surprise…! I invited them over,” Josh revealed, looking straight into Ken’s eyes. “They were free, and I had a little extra cash… So, here they are.”
“But—But—!” Ken began to stutter. He was not sure if he wanted to scream or cry. “But…!”
“They’re here for Christmas dinner, hun. Aren’t you gonna invite them in?”
Ken looked at Josh, still feeling bewildered. “O-Okay…”
Josh smiled at him. He took a step back to rejoin his parents while Ken opened his arms to take his Ma and Pa into his.
Forget being nervous. Ken’s heart was swelling like a wave. He almost forgot what he had been so worried about the past week.
Still hugging his parents, Ken turned to Josh. He looked at Josh with… he did not know what expression he had. Ken just knew he looked at Josh in a way that told him he appreciated him, he was so grateful for him, he was so lucky to have a man like him.
I love you, he mouthed, quiet, but his words came through for sure.
I love you, too, Josh mouthed back, sandwiched between his parents.
They spent the Christmas dinner together after that—Ken, Josh, and both their parents. They exchanged stories, got to know each other better, liked each other a lot more, and when it was time to open presents, Ken could not believe he was going to receive more than what he had already been given. His Christmas was complete. He was with family, all of them.
A merry Christmas to Ken, indeed. And it was all thanks to his beloved writer.