Work Text:
Gerard never had fond memories of the holiday season. Even as a child, Gerard remembered waking up on Christmas after asking Santa for a sketchbook and being greeted with a basketball hoop. It wasn't even like they'd asked for a makeup kit or a Claire's gift card, but Gerard could just feel their father's passive suggestions to be normal.
As they got older, it didn't get easier. Sure, Gerard and Adam had been out since middle school. Their families knew each other and of their relationship, but introducing him relatives always felt so... embarrassing, almost. It didn't feel right to be viewed as a "brave" couple. As two guys. Something about it felt wrong.
It wasn't until they were 16 when things began to fall into place. Their mom was on a girls' trip, and Gerard couldn't help but be curious about what resided in her closet. An assortment of heels scattered the floor, with hooks of obnoxious jewelry on the walls. Gerard felt themselves gravitated toward a cheetah print cocktail dress on the rack. They hadn't seen their mom in this thing in years. Gerard gave in and tried it on.
Jesus, they looked like they were on the fucking Jersey Shore.
Something changed that day for Gerard. It wasn't for a few months until they built up the courage to actually sneak out in it, taking themselves to Ravenkroft with a shitty fake ID they got from some kid in their Biology class.
And then there was Bert. Gerard's first Christmas with Bert was actually bearable, surprisingly. After Adam discovered their affair, obviously Gerard couldn't stay at their apartment any longer, so they resorted to moving in with Bert and his parents. They were nice at first, and respected Gerard's identity. They baked cookies with his mom and was gifted their first real eyeshadow palette. It was nice, it was safe. It was a fresh slate.
Of course, Bert had to ruin that. Within two months, him and his manager at Subway, known on the street as Blackbear, were arrested for the possession and distribution of meth. Bert's parents were able to bail him out, but Gerard could feel that his parents ultimately blamed them for the way he turned out. There was no way their precious Bert would ever succumb to such criminal activity without Gerard's influence. Within a week, his parents had come together and decided to kick them out.
Bert, of course, was fired now. So with no change in their pocket, Bert and Gerard spent three winters in a damn tent under an overpass.
Surprisingly, Christmas was where the big bucks were on the corner. Closeted dads who just need to lay off some steam were crawling at the late hours of Ravenkroft while their wives wrapped presents for their kids. Truthfully, that was the most shameful part of the job, how Gerard was viewed by some of these men. To them, Gerard was ambiguous, a way to get a fix of sleeping with a man without actually looking at one. It was shameful, the way some of these men spoke to them. But with no food in your stomach or a ripped tent, they learned to just suck it up.
This was Gerard's first Christmas alone with Mikey in a long while. Sure, it wasn't the same as it used to be, picking out a tree with their parents. Mikey had a small silver fake tree he'd probably gotten at Target, with little red ornaments, but it didn't matter. It was theirs. There was more heart put into it than Gerard had felt in so long.
Mikey and Gerard both found themselves awake early that morning, both equally eager to exchange gifts before their shift. Both presents sat beside the cheap little tree on the counter, one clearly better wrapped than the other.
"You go first." Gerard insisted. Mikey picked up the neatly wrapped box with a smile, accessing it. "Dude just fucking open it." Gerard laughed. Mikey rolled his eyes, then ripped at the paper.
"Oh, my god!" Mikey exclaimed, smiling as he held up a book. "Is this... IT?" He asked, smiling. Gerard smirked proudly.
"Open the inside cover." Mikey followed their instruction, brow furrowing.
"Who's signature is this? James..."
"Ransone. He uh... told me he was in a movie I guess? A recent one. I don't know... I-I know you like the book, and... he was a, um... a client of mine. I-I've held onto it for a few months now." Gerard said bashfully. Mikey then bursted into laughter.
"No freakin' way! Dude, this is insane. Fuck, I don't know if I could top this." Mikey shook his head, smiling at the book. "Thank you, man." Mikey set it down beside him, picking up the crinkled gift. "Sorry, I didn't go to art school like you." He laughed nervously. Gerard shook their head.
"I didn't even graduate." They said as they gently unwrapped it. It was a 64 pack of crayons. Gerard let out another laugh.
"Nice, classic." They said. "God, I'm really gonna be the cool kid in class now, huh? Oh, and it comes with a sharpener? Watch out, Newark!"
"Turn them over, dumbass." Mikey snarked. Gerard then turned it over. There was a flyer taped to the back.
"School of Visual Arts orientation for the spring semester? Mikey, I can't afford..." They trailed off, then looked up at him in realization. "No... No. Mikey, I... No, I can't accept that from you." Gerard averted their eyes, dropping the gift in their lap like it was a hot potato.
"Gerard, look at me." Mikey directed. Gerard gave in, meeting his gaze. "You... are so talented. I've seen your abilities, your story building. I know you didn't dream of becoming a nurse, let's be real. This is your dream. Your dream. You let it slip through your fingers the first time, that's okay, but... I can't live to see you lose that opportunity again." Mikey smiled hopefully. He knew it was a struggle to get Gerard to agree to something like this. They always suffered in silence, and it aggravated Mikey.
Gerard still seemed hesitant. Mikey sighed in defeat.
"You don't have to yet, I'm not saying drop the nurse gig and-"
"Who said I wanted to drop the nurse gig?" Gerard suddenly asked. Mikey blinked in shock.
"I-I'm... not saying you have to." He said cautiously. "But... just humor me. Let's go to orientation. See what you think, okay? We'll ease into it." Mikey said. Gerard managed a nod, wiping what felt like a tear coming.
"Thank you, Mikey. Seriously. I-I don't take this lightly."
"I know you don't."
"Fuck, what time is it? We have to go soon, huh?" Gerard began scrambling, picking up bits of wrapping paper on the couch.
"Shit, yeah. Okay, I'll meet you here in say, 10 minutes?" The two nodded in agreement and parted ways to their rooms.
Gerard had been notified by Dr. Toro that staff were highly encouraged to come Christmas morning dressed festive. Gerard had the perfect outfit in mind. They always loved the attention on them, so they were able to whip out a pencil red dress they'd found at Goodwill months ago. It was tight and they knew they looked hot. They matched it with a thick black belt and black heels. They grabbed two wrapped gifts that sat on their desk on their way out, one for the staff's White Elephant party, the other for Frank.
When they met Mikey in their living room, they couldn't decide if they were relieved they were hotter, or embarrassed and overdressed. Mikey was sporting a goofy reindeer sweater as well as an elf hat with felt ears and all.
"Wow, Gerard. You..."
"Hot, right?" They looked down at themselves with a smirk.
"Yeah, I mean... you know we're still working today, right?" Mikey asked.
"So? I used to work in this kind of outfit for four years. I'll be fine."
"Whatever, man. Let's go."
In the corner of the breakroom, stood a tall, fake pine tree. The kind with pre-strung lights, hung with mismatched ornaments, likely gifts from elders' families. Some had family photos, others had figures like Elvis or dogs, and even a few medical themed ornaments like a stethoscope or a pill bottle.
Gerard began to walk in, before noticing Mikey wasn't following.
"Hey, um, wait-" Mikey stammered, handing Gerard their White Elephant gift. "I'll um... I-I'll be right there. I just... I'll be back, I swear."
Before Gerard could respond, Mikey was gone.
"Wow... Gerard, you... look good."
Gerard turned their head, seeing Dr. Toro was already beside the tree, putting his gift under it. Apparently everyone else had decided to wear a Christmas sweater besides them, except his had actual string lights attached to the front. He was also sporting a Santa hat. Gerard had to admit, it was cute.
"You, too. Man, I wish I knew everyone else was wearing sweaters, I must stick out like a sore thumb." They laughed. That was a lie, Gerard loved standing out. They knew they'd one-up'ed everyone. They looked hot.
"N-No, no! You... look amazing. I mean... Festive. I dig the uh... Mrs. Claus thing you got going on."
"That's definitely what I was going for. Mikey said it was too much, but he should know me by now. Too much is my middle name."
Just then, Mikey and Gabe came tripping into the break room, laughing.
"Gabe, stop! Shut up!" He playfully slapped his arm. Gabe was sporting a headband with mistletoe tied on a string in front of him. Gerard grimaced. The two composed themselves, taking their seats in the break room.
"White Elephant isn't for another 10 minutes, so we still have time while we wait for everyone else. You guys have holiday plans?" Ray asked. Everyone looked among themselves, before Gabe spoke up.
"Oh you know me, I'm gonna go crazy with the eggnog and watch my favorite Christmas movie of all time, Die Haaaaard!" Gabe cheered. Mikey couldn't help but giggle.
"Omigod, I love Die Hard!"
Gerard huffed. Mikey had never once seen Die Hard.
"What about you, Gerard? Any plans?" Ray asked. The two made prolonged eye contact, and Gerard felt themselves gulp.
"I uh... I'll probably lay low tonight. Maybe... draw."
"Oh, we'll probably order Chinese tonight, keep it simple." Mikey chimed. "What about you, Dr. Toro?"
"Oh, my mother's in town, so I'll probably take her somewhere nice."
Suddenly, Ryan shuffled in, hurriedly putting down his gift.
"Sorry I'm late. Damn traffic, some knob fuckin' swerved on the road, causing like 6 cars to all collide into one another. Downright dreadful, super fucking annoying." Ryan shook his head, then took a seat. "Are we the only ones?"
"Well, I suppose we're the only fleshed out characters, so yeah." Ray shrugged. "So who wants to go first?" He asked. At first there was silence, until Ryan immediately stood up.
"I guess I'll go." He said. He knelt down by the tree, looking over the arrangement of presents. "I guess I'll go for this one." He picked up Mikey's gift, taking it back with him.
"Let's go clockwise." Ray suggested. "Gerard?"
"Oh, uh... alright." Gerard got up from their chair to pick their gift, deciding to pick up the package Ray left under the tree.
"Excellent choice." Ray stated with a smile. "Mikey?" He asked.
Mikey looked to Gabe with a bashful smile, before getting up, taking his gift from under the tree.
"You're gonna love that one, Mikes." Gabe said. Ray cleared his throat.
"Gabe? It's your turn."
Gabe got up, snatching Mikey's gift from Ryan's hand.
"You dick!" Ryan whined. Gabe just snickered and stuck his tongue out. "Bollocks." Ryan stood up with a huff, taking Gerard's small box from the tree. "This better be good."
Ray then got up, taking Ryan's gift from under the tree. "Everybody ready?"
Mikey took no time to open Gabe's gift, pulling out a roll of condoms.
"Classy, Gabe." Ray stated. Mikey and Gabe immediately bursted into laughter.
Gerard just rolled their eyes, opening their gift from Ray. Inside was a beautifully handknitted black and gray striped scarf.
"O-Oh my god... Ray, did you make this?" Gerard asked, holding it up. Ray laughed bashfully.
"Yeah, I um... I took up knitting, there was a class at my local library and... yeah. Sorry if it's messy, it's my first time."
"No, oh my god, it's amazing, Ray! Thank you." They said, smiling. Gerard put it on, looking down at themselves.
"It looks good on you."
Ryan immediately tore open Gerard's gift, and his jaw dropped.
"Gerard, what the hell is this?" He asked. Gerard looked over, their cheeks going red with embarrassment.
"It's... um... a Wendy's keytag. You can get a free Jr. Frosty every day for a year with any purchase."
"Dude, those are like 2 bucks." Gabe interjected.
"I don't go to Wendy's! You want me to put all that sugar in my body, Gerard? I can't use this."
"Dude, fine. I'll take it." Ray huffed.
"No! No, you got my gift, Ray. That's boring." Ryan complained. "No. I'm keeping it."
Ray shook his head, opening his gift from Ryan.
"Dude, are these laxatives?" He asked. Ryan shrugged.
"I have plenty at home. I assumed at least one of you could use them."
Everyone stared at Ryan, dumfounded.
"Okay, my turn." Gabe blurted, tearing open Mikey's gift. "Oh, awesome!" Gabe held up a pair of hot pink aviators. "I'm so putting these on."
"Okay, well this was fun." Gerard suddenly began getting up from their chair. "I'll uh... I'll see y'all around. I'm gonna go do my job."
"Frankie!" Gerard called as they opened Frank's door. They smiled charmingly as they entered.
"Hot, mama!" Frank exclaimed, getting a good look at Gerard in the dress. Gerard quickly closed the door behind them, hoping no one heard that. "Look at you, sweetpea! Wow... are you my present from Santa?" He asked. Gerard just laughed.
"One of them." They said, approaching him in his lounge chair. "Look at this cute 'lil sweater, on you! You pick it out yourself?" They set their present for Frank on a nearby table, taking a seat in his lap. Frank's hand immediately went for Gerard's thigh, the other resting on their back.
"Oh, you know it, sweetpea! Who else?"
It was a dorky grandpa sweater, one Gerard probably would have flicked past in a thrift store. It looked so cute on him, Gerard couldn't stand it.
"You look so handsome!"
"Aw, shucks, Jamia. You make me feel like a million bucks!" Frank exclaimed. Gerard smiled, giving his bald head a rub.
"You wanna open your present, sugar?" Gerard then asked.
"Do I?!" Frank said excitedly. He began to push up Gerard's dress, causing them to laugh, putting a hand on top of his to stop him.
"Not this, Frankie! Your actual present." They patted his chest, then got up from his lap to fetch the wrapped gift. They returned to his lap with it in hand, handing it over.
"Oh, thank you, sweetpea! I'm so excited to open it! You know... I have something for you, too..." Frank said bashfully. Gerard's eyes softened.
"You... got me something?" They asked. Frank chuckled.
"Let me open yours first, darling." He began to tear it open, revealing a leather book. "What is it, sugar?" He asked.
"It's... a photo album. To keep all your pictures in, so you remember them easier." They said, gently rubbing his shoulder. Frank was grinning ear to ear.
"Oh, sweetpea! You shouldn't have! Oh, sweet cherry pie! This is marvelous!" He cheered. Gerard chuckled.
"I'll help you put them in later today, okay? Then you can look at them whenever you want."
"Well, I dunno how I'm gonna top that! Sweetpea, fetch your gift for me, will ya? It's that black box on the desk." Gerard followed where Frank's outstretched finger was pointing, and got up to grab it. "I found it in a storage bin with some of my old clothes after all these years, I thought I'd return it to its rightful owner."
Gerard approached the desk, picking up the small box. They looked back to Frank, who had a fond smile on his lips. It wasn't his giddy excited smile from opening Gerard's gift, it was more gentle. More emotional. This was an intimate gift. It made Gerard's stomach turn.
They slowly opened it, revealing a diamond ring.
"Is this... a wedding ring?" They breathed out.
"It's your wedding ring, sweetpea! Why, I thought I was the one who forgot things." Frank chuckled. Gerard took in a shaky breath, their hands growing clammy.
Jamia's wedding ring. No, their wedding ring.
"Frankie..." They finally managed.
"Try it on, sweetheart. Just like old times!"
Gerard took no time to take it out of the box, sweaty fingers slipping as they yanked it out. Once it was free, they set the box down, holding their breath as they slid it onto their finger.
It was a perfect fit.
"O-Oh my god..." Gerard choked out. Frank was smiling wider now.
"C'mere, sweet thing!" He called. Gerard bit their lip.
"Let me... do one more thing for you, dear." They said, holding up a finger. Frank waited tentatively as Gerard walked over to the record player in the corner. They flicked through the collection of vinyls on his shelf, hoping to god he had something they recognized. They gasped as they found the perfect record, removing it from its sleeve and placing it on the player. It began to crackle as it found its tune, playing the familiar song. Gerard leaned against it, singing along.
"Santa baby, just slip a Sable under the tree for me. I've been an awful good girl. Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight..."
Frank watched with anticipation, hands rubbing the arms of his chair. He hummed along, joining in at the second verse.
"Santa buddy, a 54 convertible too, light blue. I'll wait up for you, dear. Santa buddy, so hurry down the chimney tonight..."
Gerard giggled, slowly stepping closer as the next verse approached.
"Think of all the fun I've missed," Gerard leaned over Frank, noses grazing as they sang. "Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed." They stepped back, and Frank chimed in once again.
"Next year, I could be just as good!" He sang.
"If you check off my Christmas list." They both harmonized, making Gerard giggle. They slowly stepped back towards Frank, taking a seat in his lap once more.
"Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing. A ring!" Gerard held up their finger as they sang, wiggling the wedding ring on their finger. "I don't mean on the phone. Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight..."
The two were both laughing as the song ended, both overjoyed with holiday spirit.
"Merry Christmas, sweetpea!" Frank exclaimed. Gerard smiled warmly.
"Merry Christmas, Frankie."