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“Are you sure about this, Charles?” Erik asked as he pulled on his sweater.
“Of course, love,” his partner replied, tossing clothes into his suitcase. “I think it’s about time. And what’s a better introduction to a family than Christmas?”
“I guess you’re right. I’m so excited! And very nervous…”
“Don’t be nervous; Mum and Dad told me that they can’t wait to meet you.”
Charles was Erik’s first serious queer relationship, so he was nervous on many different levels to meet Brian and Sharon Xavier. But that was in part because of how much he loved Charles. They’d been together almost 5 years, but half of that time Erik had been in Germany finishing his PhD. They’d known each other even longer than that, having met at a bar years ago when Charles had just started his own PhD at Oxford. That night had been magical, and they had been talking ever since.
Despite being a few years older than Charles, Erik hadn’t really accepted he was bisexual until shortly before they had met. He’d gotten close to getting engaged to his highschool girlfriend, but Madga had realized that she was gay after a few years, and they’d split amicably. He actually kept in touch with her, and they talked about their relationships often. She had been the one who encouraged Erik to continue dating Charles after Charles had returned to America for the teaching job at Harvard. She was living in Cape Town with her partner, and Erik hoped she was well.
They loaded up Erik’s truck with their luggage and the gifts and got on the road. It was about three and a half hours to get to Westchester County, where Charles’ parents lived in his childhood home. But the roads were supposed to be clear, so Erik bet he could shave off a little time. Charles was a good driver, but he was timid and drove a little slow, so Erik typically did the majority of the driving on their joint trips, and Charles navigated, which worked out well.
“Oh Erik, I told you my sister Raven and her son are coming to Christmas, didn’t I?” Charles said, and Erik shook his head.
“No, but that’s great. How old is her son?”
“Kurt must be four now, I think?”
“And where does Raven live?”
“She’s out in L.A.!”
The journey was fairly easy, and Erik was surprised how little traffic they encountered, especially for Christmas Eve. Charles guided Erik through the winding roads that led to the larger residential properties, and soon they pulled through the wrought iron gates.
“Oh wow !” Erik breathed as the manor house came into view. “That’s really big.”
“Yeah,” Charles said, sounding a little sheepish. “I never understood why a family of four needed something this big, but here we are!” He leaned over and honked the horn twice, grinning as he got out of the truck.
“Uncle Charles!” A little boy cried, rushing out of the house and grabbing Charles’ arm.
“Hey buddy!” Charles laughed, hoisting Kurt in the air and carrying him over to Erik. “Kurt, this is my boyfriend Erik.”
“Hi there, Kurt,” Erik greeted, waving to the child, who grinned and waved back.
“Let’s get inside, it’s cold!”
Charles set Kurt down and watched him dash inside before he and Erik grabbed their bags and followed suit. They were greeted by a blast of warm air and the smell of cookies. Erik was taken aback by the grandeur of it all; it looked like the inside of a castle.
“Hi sweetheart!” A woman called, and Erik heard shoes clacking towards them on the wooden floor. Sharon Xavier was a tall, well-coiffed woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and the same strikingly blue eyes as Charles. She sported a Christmas apron over a simple A-line dress, which looked color-coordinated.
“Hi Mum!” Charles exclaimed, setting down his bags and hugging his mother tightly. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, darling! And hello Erik,” she said, turning to smile at him and offer a hug. “Welcome, welcome.”
Erik felt his heart swell in his chest. She likes me! He thought.
“Dad will be back in a little bit,” Sharon explained. “I sent him out to get a few things. Why don’t you two go get settled and I’ll call you down when he’s home?”
“Sounds good,” Charles nodded. “C’mon, my love.”
Erik followed Charles up a grand staircase, and he was so busy trying to take in the house that he almost tripped up the steps. It was just so fascinating. He knew the Xaviers were wealthy, but with his own very modest background, it was amazing. Upon meeting Charles and even getting to know him, Erik never would have guessed that Charles’ dad was one of the wealthiest men in the United States, maybe even in the world.
“Here we are,” Charles said, opening the third door on the right. It was a cozy, warm space that Erik immediately felt comfortable in. Charles flopped down on his bed and motioned for Erik to join him. He obliged, cuddling close to Charles’ chest and sighing contentedly.
“I love you, liebling,” he said softly.
“Oh Erik, I love you !”
They laid together for a little while listening to the sounds of family moving around below and the winter wind outside. Erik was about to fall asleep when he heard a car horn blast outside. Charles bolted upright with a broad smile: “Dad’s here!”
Charles grabbed Erik’s hand and led him back to the staircase where they saw Mr. Xavier bringing in bags of groceries. He set them down, looked up, and opened his arms.
“Hey kiddo!” He shouted as Charles ran down to hug him.
Brian looked a lot like Charles - short and fair with a kind face. He had thinning blonde hair and thick Clark Kent glasses. From the way he was dressed, Erik wouldn’t have known him from any other suburban dad.
“You must be Erik,” Brian said, shaking Erik’s hand with a smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. We’ve heard such wonderful things about you!”
“Likewise, I promise.”
“Grandpa, Mom and Grandma want you to bring Uncle Charles and Erik to see them in the kitchen!” Kurt called, and Brian laughed, motioning the two men to follow him. They weaved through the large sitting room and into a massive kitchen.
“Charlie!” A woman Erik assumed to be Raven shrieked, pulling Charles into a tight hug before wrapping her arm around Erik’s shoulder. “So nice to see you guys!”
The Xavier family traditions were all new to Erik, but he felt so included and integrated that it was like he’d always been there. He made cookies and frosted them with Raven and Charles, helped Kurt reach the higher branches on the enormous tree to hang in the plastic, non-breakable ornaments, and laid in front of the fire with Charles while Brian and Sharon regaled the family with stories of little Charles and Raven.
After the flames died down and Kurt had dozed off, Charles and Erik headed to bed. It had started snowing, and everything felt quiet and calm.
“This is amazing,” Erik said as Charles changed into his PJs. “Your family is so nice.”
“They really, really like you,” he replied. “You’re one of us now, whether you like it or not.”
“I feel really lucky.”
They cuddled under Charles’ soft blankets and drifted off to sleep, eager for Christmas morning to come.
*****
BANG!
BANG BANG!
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
“Uncle Charles! Erik!” Kurt yelled. “Santa came, it’s time to get up!” “
“Okay,” Charles called back, groaning as he rolled out of bed. “We’ll be right down.”
“What time is it?” Erik muttered, rubbing his eyes.
“8:15, which is actually pretty good.”
Erik pulled on his shorts and the Christmas sweater Charles had bought him and followed his partner downstairs.
“Merry Christmas, everyone,” Charles called as he and Erik entered the living room and settled on the couch. Kurt was zooming around, eyeing the gifts spread under the tree.
“Can we open presents now? PLEASEEEEEE!”
“Okay, Kurt,” Sharon said as she sat down next to Brian. “Bring over one for everyone, then you can start on yours.”
Kurt ran over to the tree and hastily grabbed packages for everyone, half-tossing them into their laps. Then he began ripping into a large box wrapped in dinosaur paper.
Charles grinned as Erik opened the gift from his parents.
“Oh nice!” Erik exclaimed, pulling back the wrapping to reveal a perfectly-knitted Hanukkah sweater. “This is gorgeous, thank you so much!”
“So glad you like it, sweetheart,” Sharon beamed. “It was a team effort.”
Erik watched with joy as everyone opened their gifts. For the first time in a relationship, he really felt like he was wanted and liked by a partner’s family. He belonged here.
“Is that all the presents, kid?” Brian asked Kurt, who shook his head with a huge grin.
“There’s one left! It’s for Erik.”
“You’ve gotta close your eyes though, okay, darling?” Charles added, and Erik nodded. He was very confused, and he tried to gauge what was happening by the rustling and whispers.
“Okay, Erik, open your eyes,” his partner said, and Erik blinked back into the light.
There was Charles, kneeling in front of him with a ring. Raven was filming, and Kurt was sitting between Brian and Sharon, vibrating with excitement.
“Charles, oh my god,” Erik stammered, feeling his cheeks flush.
“Erik, I’ve wanted to ask you this for a long time, but I couldn’t think of a perfect moment. I love you so very much. Will you marry me?”
“There’s no one else I’d ever want,” Erik beamed. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
“Yay, yay, wedding!” Kurt shrieked as Charles slipped the silver band on Erik’s finger.
“Welcome to the family, Erik,” Charles exclaimed, sitting back down on the couch.
“Welcome!” Brian, Sharon, and Raven chorused, and Erik felt his heart singing. He had found a second home, and it felt perfect.