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"Honey!" Ashton calls as soon as he gets inside, flinging off his coat and haphazardly sticking it on one of the hooks by the door. "You wouldn't believe who I just saw out there!"
"Who?" Michael shouts from somewhere in the house. Ashton kicks off his boots and wanders into the kitchen where Michael is eating chips right out of the bag. He grabs a few for himself, entirely too used to Michael's gross habit of sprinkling chip dust everywhere to mind.
"Who did you see?" Michael repeats.
"Calum."
Michael stares at him blankly.
"Our neighbor," Ashton clarifies.
"Oh! Which one?"
"The one in the skirt when we delivered the cookies."
"Oh, that one!" Michael says brightly. In his defense, Ashton is the one who's done the most interacting with the new neighbors, and Michael has always been worse at names than him. Calum and Luke have only been living next door for a few weeks, and they've only really spoken when Ashton delivered the customary "welcome to the neighborhood" cookies. They seem like a good duo. They seem friendly, haven’t made any trouble so far, and although they have two dogs they're both quieter than Moose and Southy tend to be. If they had arrived in the summer when Ashton has time off and can be outside more, he's sure that they would've had a lot more conversations by now. Ashton is planning on inviting them over to enjoy his and Michael's firepit once they finish building it in the backyard.
The rest of the neighborhood already assumes that they all know each other, since the two gay couples on the block happen to live right next door. It was a coincidence that Calum and Luke ended up in the house that shares their property line, but conforming to stereotypes isn't going to keep Ashton from being a good neighbor and reaching out. They have some great neighbors on the block, but most of them are a lot older, and it's nice to see another young couple around.
"Why is that important?" Michael asks, popping another chip in his mouth.
"Huh?"
Ashton has to wait for Michael to finish chewing before he gets his answer.
"Calum being outside. Why did you want to tell me about it?"
Michael takes another chip. He's going to ruin his appetite for dinner at this rate.
"He was taking a whole bunch of Christmas lights out of his car," Ashton says.
Michael looks up sharply. He knew that that would get his attention.
"Indoor or outdoor?" he asks.
"Outdoor."
Michael swears.
"Do you think they know about the competition?" he asks. Ashton shrugs. "Fuck. We might have to go buy more lights. I don't want to lose to them."
"You don't want to lose to anyone," Ashton says affectionately. He loves Michael's competitive streak. He's always pushing Ashton to be better, and their constant challenges keep things interesting in the house.
"They haven't even been here a month! How do they have time to decorate for the Christmas lights competition?"
"Maybe they don't," Ashton says. "Maybe they'll put up a little bit and that'll be it."
He wouldn't describe the lights that Calum was hauling out of his trunk "a little bit," but there's no need to get Michael worked up until he knows for sure that there's a reason to be.
Ashton will be damned if they lose the competition to someone who's just moved here, though, especially when they live right next door.
"We'll go to the hardware store after dinner," Ashton says. "We need to buy a new shovel, anyway."
Michael nods decisively. Ashton takes the bag of chips away from him and starts giving instructions for tonight's dinner preparations, and they spend the entire meal going over their plan for decorations this year.
-/-
A year after Michael and Ashton moved to town, the town's arts council hosted the very first Winter Decorating Contest. The prize is simple, only a few gift cards to local restaurants in town, and most of the competitors entered simply because the lights were going to be put up, anyway. Michael and Ashton didn't even know it was happening until the winner was announced, and that's when they began planning their own entry for the next year.
They won. And won again. And they're determined to do it for a third time, regardless of nice new neighbors.
They spend a considerable amount of money on lights and good decorations, getting into a heated debate at the store over whether certain decorations are too tacky. Ashton reminds Michael that they want to take a quality over quantity approach, but he also recognizes that they're going to have to get creative. Each year, everyone else's displays get better, and if they want to maintain their title as reigning champions, they have to step it up.
When they get back home, there are still no lights on the house next door. Ashton knows that he'll be adding extra lights to their own display tomorrow, anyway.
-/-
Apparently Calum is an early riser, because when they leave the house the next morning for Moose and Southy's morning walk, he's already up a ladder hanging lights. Ashton almost trips over Southy's leash because he's too busy trying to subtly point it out to Michael, which turns out to be futile because Calum twists and sees them, anyway.
"Hi!" Ashton calls. "Putting up your Christmas lights?"
"Yeah!" Calum says, hooking an arm around a ladder rung so he can safely turn to face them a bit better. "Luke and I just found out about the Winter Decorating Contest, so we figured we'd make an effort this year!"
"Oh, that's nice!" Michael says. He sounds enthusiastic, but Ashton knows him, and there's a particular color to his tone that means his feathers have been ruffled at the confirmation that they have some competition.
"We both love decorating for the holidays, so we're excited to have a full house and yard to do it in rather than just the apartment. I don't want to brag, but we looked at the pictures of past entries on Facebook and we're pretty confident," Calum says.
Michael grits his teeth.
"Well, you live next to the reigning champions," Ashton says lightly. "I'm sure the best house will win!"
Calum narrows his eyes.
"I'm sure it will," he says. Ashton may not be able to read him as well as he can read Michael, but he hears the challenge in his tone clearly.
Thankfully Moose and Southy get tired of waiting for them and begin tugging on their leashes in earnest, giving them an excuse to leave quickly. As soon as they have their backs to Calum, Ashton leans close to Michael.
"Okay, we need to beat them," he mutters.
"Definitely," Michael agrees.
They go back to the hardware store that afternoon.
-/-
Ashton feels pretty proud of their lighting display by the time night falls. They have golden lights strung up around the house, bordering the roof and lining the windows. Their mailbox is wrapped in red with a pine garland, and the maple tree in the front yard that has since lost all of its leaves has a combination of both lights. They have a few other light displays to put up, such as some string snowflakes, and they have to put their wreath up, the outside-safe ornaments on the maple tree, and a reindeer set that they just bought on the roof. Plus, each year they put a large Santa figure on the porch, sitting on the porch swing out of the snow with a nice suit and a big, white beard.
He's confident that they'll win. There's still plenty of time to finish their yard display, and Calum and Luke haven't put up much more than their lights around the roofline. Part of him is eager to see what they come up with. It'd be refreshing to have a bit of actual competition, and he thinks it'd be great if the first and second place houses were right next to each other (but only if Michael and Ashton come in first).
When there's a knock on the door, Michael and Ashton frown at each other. It's a little late for people to be calling, and it's a cold night. He has half a mind to ignore it and keep cuddling with Michael and the dogs on the couch, but the knock comes again, and this time Moose barks in response.
"Alright, I'm going," he sighs.
"If it's another band fundraiser for that kid a block over, buy more of the flavored popcorn," Michael says.
"Anything for you, honey," Ashton says with a kiss to the top of his head, even though he doubts that's who's knocking after dark.
He's proven right when a glance through the peephole reveals someone much taller, with a cozy winter hat over his blonde hair.
"Hey, Luke," he says when he opens the door. "What's up?"
"Hi," their neighbor beams. "Calum and I had planned to give this to you sooner as a thank you for the welcome cookies, but we kind of forgot about it and it's been sitting on our counter for two weeks. Here!"
He presses an envelope into Ashton's hands.
"Oh," Ashton says. "Thanks."
"Hope you like it!" Luke says, already heading back to his house and the warmth it promises. Ashton closes the door and wanders back to the couch, flipping the envelope over to see both their names written on it.
"What's that?" Michael asks. Ashton shrugs and opens it.
There's a simple thank you card inside with a small gift card to a pet store, with the note I hope our dogs can be friends!
"Oh no," Michael says. "Is this going to turn into one of those who's the better neighbor competitions as well as the decorating competition? They just one-upped us. We were being nice, but this is too far."
"That's a little dramatic," Ashton says.
"They returned our cookies with a gift card and a note to the dogs! We have to give them something else now."
Ashton hums, because Michael has a point. Calum and Luke seem like sweethearts, but so are Ashton and Michael, in their own way. He's not going to stand for the neighbors thinking they're not.
"We'll figure it out," he says. Michael huffs and leans back against him, and they both debate what they can do during the commercial breaks.
-/-
From then on, it's an all-out war. They greet each other exuberantly whenever they see each other, and there are little gifts and favors left everywhere while they still try to elevate their decorations. Michael brings hot cocoa out to Calum and Luke while they work on their light display, chatting with them for a while. Calum offers extra extension cords while talking with Ashton over the tree ornaments. Michael holds the ladder for Calum when he's adding decorations to his roof. Luke and Ashton end up walking the dogs at the same time and talk as they make their rounds, with Luke generously helping Ashton when Moose decided she needed to use the bathroom multiple times and Ashton didn't bring enough bags. Calum and Luke shovel Ashton and Michael's sidewalk the next time it snows, so of course they have to invite them both over for dinner after that.
Luke and Calum bring a dessert with them. It's the best dessert that Ashton has had in his life, made even better by the way that they both look sitting at their table laughing at something Michael said.
They look really good, like they fit here in Ashton and Michael's home.
Of course, then they help with the dishes, still leaving Ashton and Michael in their debt. They make plans for a few more dinners after that.
"I like them," Michael says once, after they've turned off the light to go to bed.
"You just like that Luke laughed so hard at your joke he almost spit out his water," Ashton says.
"Yeah," Michael says. Ashton hears his pleased blush in his voice.
"I like them, too," he says. "It's a shame that we're going to absolutely destroy them in the decorating contest."
Michael laughs and shifts over, planting a giggly kiss on Ashton's face.
In all honesty, Ashton's not certain if they're going to beat them. Luke and Calum have managed to put together some beautiful decorations, and Calum's work as an electrician certainly has given them a leg up in their lighting design and allowed them to personalize more. Their yard looks great.
"We should put Santa out tomorrow," he says. "He's the cherry on top."
Michael hums and settles against him, already falling asleep. Ashton pulls him close and closes his eyes, watching Christmas lights dance behind his eyelids.
-/-
"I like that," Calum says the next evening, gesturing to Santa under his spotlight on the porch. "That's a good touch."
"Yeah, he goes with the reindeer on the roof," Ashton says.
"Completes the set," Michael says proudly. Ashton nods and surveys their yard, taking in all of the lights and other decorations that they set up, everything illuminated now that the sun has set. The yard has come together nicely, and he’s happy with their work.
"The house looks good," Calum offers.
"Yours does, too," Ashton says. "It'll be a close one."
Calum smiles, cheeks rosy from the cold.
"Guys!" Luke shouts, running down the street as fast as Petunia can take it. He seems agitated, and Calum's brow immediately furrows in concern.
"What's wrong?" he asks, letting Luke lean on him while he catches his breath. "What's the matter?"
"You guys need to see this. All of you. Come on!"
Luke takes off again, poor Petunia trotting to keep up. Ashton glances at Michael, then takes off after him.
Luke slows to a stop in front of a house two blocks away. Ashton immediately understands why.
The house in front of them is decked out in Christmas lights, and they’re moving. There are blinking reindeer outlines flying with Santa’s sleigh behind them, strings of lights completely covering the house and blinking in and out in rhythm, and a few basic animatronics lit with lights on the ground. A sign out front tells everyone what radio station to tune into, but the house is captivating even without the soundtrack that goes along with it.
“Oh no,” Michael says once he gets there. “No, no, no! This is horrible!”
“Holy shit,” Calum breathes next to him. “We don’t stand a chance.”
Ashton nods grimly. “I would’ve been okay losing to you two, but this?”
Michael hooks his arm around Ashton’s elbow, cuddling close. For a while they all watch the lights dance in silence.
“I have an idea,” Luke says eventually. “It still might not work, but I think it’d be worth a try.”
Ashton looks at Michael, then Calum.
“We’ll try anything,” he says. “What do you have in mind?”
-/-
Two weeks later, all four of them pile into a booth at the local pizza place, legs knocking together under the table. Ashton ends up next to Luke and across from Calum, and they spend the entire meal smiling and chatting, knowing that at least part of the meal will be paid for.
They ended up combining forces for the decorating contest, submitting both of their houses as one unit. Each tree has some lights and ornaments, and Calum strung lights between both houses to create a glowing canopy to display Santa and his reindeer under, Ashton and Michael fashioning crude stands so it looks like the reindeer are taking off. Luke and Calum have large glowing letters that spell “Merry Christmas,” and “Merry” ended up hung on Ashton and Michael’s house with “Christmas” on Calum and Luke’s. They bought more lights to ensure that both yards are lit up and coordinated, and by the end of the decorating all four of them stood back and gave each other satisfied grins. It looks good.
It got them second place, which means only one gift card that they have to split, but they’re already planning on how to win next year.
“I think we should build Santa an actual sleigh,” Calum says, grabbing another slice of pizza. “We can let people take pictures in it during the day, and if we include some sort of surrey canopy on it then we don’t have to worry about snow ruining your guys’s Santa suit as much.”
“We could include a present bag!” Michael says. “And we can get a few more ornaments. The trees looked a little thin this year.”
“I think we can do more with the lights, too,” Luke says. “I’m not sure what yet, but I’ll brainstorm some.”
“This is a lot of work,” Ashton laughs. “Are you sure we don’t just want to pool our money and buy one of those fancy lights and music displays?”
Michael scoffs.
“It’s about creativity , Ashton,” he says. “Next year, we’re not only going to win, we’re going to put everyone else to shame.”
Ashton holds up his hands in surrender.
“Besides,” Calum says, “we have a whole year to prepare. Michael said he likes building things, right?” Michael nods. “And I’m an electrician. You and Luke both have really good artistic eyes. We can totally do something amazing here.”
“I think we already have,” Luke says, looking at Ashton with more sincerity and earnestness than the conversation deserves.
“Yeah,” Ashton says, thinking about the friendship that has sprung up between the four of them. Ashton really likes Calum and Luke, and he likes them even more for the way that Michael lights up around them. In less than a month they’ve gone from near-strangers to best friends, and Ashton is convinced that things will only get better from here.
“Yeah, alright,” he concedes. “Let’s do this!”
Michael lets out a whoop. Calum and Luke both grin, Calum reaching across the table to slap him on the arm and Luke knocking their shoulders together.
“Okay, I have a few more ideas,” Calum says, getting out a pen and pulling a napkin towards him. The rest of them lean forward, and they stay at the restaurant until closing, making plans and each other smile while the Christmas lights flicker on and off outside.