Chapter Text
“Do I have more gray hair than before?” Thomas asked as he unbuttoned his shirt in front of the mirror, squinting at himself.
The lights were low in the room, the sun long gone beneath the horizon. Outside, snow sat calmly on the pavement, piling up to make its seasonal white carpet.
Alexander looked up from his computer, which was on his lap as he was in bed. He paused, before shrugging, turning back to the bright screen. “You’re fine.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “Ain’t that reassuring,” he muttered, examining himself more closely. “Do I have wrinkles?”
Alexander paused once more, before sighing and putting his computer aside, getting up. “Alright, what’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing,” Thomas answered, waving his hand in the air.
Alexander looked at him, skeptic.
“Alright,” Thomas capitulated. “I was asked if I was eligible for the senior discount at the grocery store.”
Alexander blinked, then couldn’t help chuckling.
“Hey, it’s not funny,” Thomas said, stepping toward him to slap his shoulder. “I’m insulted. I didn’t think I looked that old,” he said, arms crossed.
Alexander laughed some more, shaking his head. “Oh, Thomas,” he exhaled, before turning his gaze to the man again. Thomas glared at him, looking away petulantly. “Hey,” Alexander tried, coming closer. “Come on,” Alexander hummed.
Thomas continued to refuse to meet Alexander’s gaze, and Alexander hesitated before circling his waist. “You don’t look old, Thomas,” Alexander said. “You’re seasoned. Like a good wine.”
“That’s what they tell people who look old,” Thomas retorted.
Alexander smiled, lowering his eyelids. “Well, I like your salt-and-pepper hair,” he mellowed, bringing himself even closer.
“You do?” Thomas asked.
“Hm hm,” Alexander said. “I like your looks. You age well, Thomas. Don’t let some sixteen-year-old cashier make you feel self-conscious.”
“That’s easy to say. You’re still young and preppy,” Thomas answered.
Alexander raised one of his eyebrows. “Me? Young and preppy?” he asked. “Have you seen me climbing stairs?”
“You’re not even forty yet,” Thomas sighed. “And I’m already on the wrong side of that decade.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “You’re not old,” he declared categorically. “And I am certainly no longer young. If it can reassure you, know that I’ll probably wind up with some shitty ailment way before you will. Arthritis, or a broken hip, or something like that. Then, you won’t think I’m so young anymore.”
“Don’t say that,” Thomas answered, placing his hands around Alexander’s neck and playing with a strand of his hair. “That doesn’t reassure me at all. I’m the one that’ll have to take care of you.”
“And you’ll love every second of it,” Alexander chuckled. “Now stop trying to find fault in the mirror when you could pass for a Calvin Klein model and come to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow.”
Thomas smiled. “I could pass for a model, now?”
“Don’t boost your ego too much,” Alexander said. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” Thomas answered.
Alexander sat down on the bed, as Thomas looked down on him. “Oh, come on,” Alexander answered. “I’ve already complimented you enough.”
“I can’t get tired of it,” Thomas said, caressing Alexander’s cheek. “You’re the only audience I want to impress.”
“Blatant lie,” Alexander declared. “Could not be further from the truth.”
Thomas laughed. “Okay, maybe not, but you’re number one.”
“No, I’m probably, like, third,” Alexander said. “Right behind your mom and your boss.”
“Just take the damn endearment, Alex,” Thomas said with a smile. “I’m trying to set a mood here.”
“I know,” Alexander answered. “It’s fun to make you run in circles.”
“You’re so mean,” Thomas said. “Why did I marry you, again?”
Alexander played with Thomas’ half-unbuttoned shirt, smiling up at him. “Because I’m so young and preppy and you’re an old man running out of time.”
“I’ll show you who’s the old man,” Thomas said, bending down to bring their faces closer.
“Show them,” Alexander said tenderly, responding to the kiss with affection.
But what was gentle quickly grew deeper, as Thomas placed one of his knees up on the bed, taking Alexander’s face in his two hands to deepen the kiss. Alexander responded by crawling backwards, then letting himself slowly fall on the bed, laying down on his back. Thomas grabbed the back of his thigh, kissing the corner of Alexander’s mouth, then his jaw and neck, as Alexander pulled his head back, closing his eyes and sighing contently.
But the door flung open as a small girl stood in the doorway. Thomas quickly pulled back, letting go of Alexander's leg and turning to her. “Mary,” Thomas said, panting a bit. “What’s up, love? Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Arthur won’t stop bugging me,” she complained. “Tell him to stop.”
Thomas turned back to Alexander, the latter who smiled slightly, rolling his eyes. Alexander gave a quick peck to Thomas’s lips, pushing on his chest. “I’ll take care of it,” Alexander said, and, as Mary was going back to her room, he leaned closer, whispering in Thomas’ ear, “Why don’t you wait for me?”
Thomas smiled, and Alexander got up. “Arthur,” Alexander said in the hallway. “You should be in bed, mister. Let your sister sleep in peace.”
“But I don’t want to,” Arthur answered, crossing his arms.
“You don’t have a choice, buddy,” Alexander said, a gentle hand at the child’s back. “We have to leave early tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to go,” Arthur complained.
“Athur, we’ve already talked about this,” Alexander said, crouching down. “I know planes can be scary, but it’s safe. Don’t you trust me on that?”
“But what if it crashes in the ocean?” Arthur asked.
“We’re barely crossing any ocean,” Alexander assured. “We’ll be going over the country, so we can land anywhere there. And then, we’ll just be above the Caribbean sea, and you know how many islands there are there.”
Arthur looked down. “I still can’t fall asleep," he muttered.
Alexander looked at him a moment, then got up, hands on his hips. “Tell you what,” Alexander said. “What if I read a chapter from our bedtime book? Would that help you?”
Arthur looked up, smiling. “Yeah,” he said.
“Mary,” Alexander said, looking at the little girl who was already back in her bed. “Would that bother you?”
She shook her head.
The two children laid in their respective beds, looking expectantly at Alexander who sat down, crossing his legs and turning the pages of the book back to where they were. He began reading the chapter aloud, changing his voice and intonation to each character he encountered.
“ Susan, the eldest of three daughters, had inherited her father’s desire to heal but wanted to extend her horizons beyond Grant Avenue… ” Alexander narrated, at which point he looked up and saw that the two children were sleeping. Alexander smiled and placed the bookmark back in its place, then kissed each child’s head gently. He sneaked out the room, closing the door behind himself quietly, and went back to his own quarters, excited to resume his interaction with Thomas. Alexander walked inside, opening his mouth to speak, when he noticed that Thomas was laying down, deep in slumber. Alexander stood in the doorway for a moment, then sighed.
He went on the other side of the bed, closing his nightstand lamp’s light, and pulling the covers from underneath Thomas to put it above the man’s shoulder, who grumbled slightly. Thomas half-opened his eyes. “You’re back,” he mumbled.
Alexander smiled, burying himself, too, under the covers. “Go back to sleep,” Alexander told him.
“Hm,” Thomas answered, closing his eyes again. “Your hands are cold,” he added.
“Don’t complain,” Alexander answered, laying his head down.
Thomas reached forward, eyes still closed, and pulled Alexander towards him, bringing him to his chest. “How’d it go with the kids?” he muttered.
“They’re alright,” Alexander said, shifting to be more comfortable as he placed his face in the crook of Thomas’ shoulder. “At least until tomorrow.”
“I hope everything will go well.”
Alexander titled his head upwards, kissing Thomas’ necl. “It will,” Alexander whispered, his breath tickling Thomas’ skin.
Alexander felt him shudder under him, and he looked up to see Thomas’ eyes resolutely open. Alexander smiled. “Well, that woke you up,” Alexander chuckled.
Thomas’ hand crept under Alexander’s shirt, and Alexander kissed him once again, pulled back into their previously interrupted dance. Alexander smiled against Thomas’ lips, climbing above him.
“Hey, darling,” Thomas exhaled between two kisses.
“What?” Alexander said, taking his shirt off.
“We can’t stay up too late,” Thomas said, sitting up to kiss Alexander’s chest. “I don’t want to be a living dead tomorrow morning.”
“You’ll be fine,” Alexander answered, pushing Thomas back on the mattress and coming for his lips again.
He was not, in fact, fine. The next morning, at five, Alexander woke him up with a flicker on his head.
“Get up, pillow princess,” Alexander said, taking a sip of his coffee. “We need to get the kids up and go to the airport.”
Thomas opened his eyes slowly, glaring up at him.
“Don’t you look tired,” Alexander said.
“Whose fault is that?” Thomas muttered.
Alexander smiled, grabbing Thomas’ chin and kissing his head. “It takes two to tango,” he mellowed, looking down on Thomas. “Now get moving, the circus is starting,” he said, walking out of the room.
“When did you wake up?” Thomas exhaled, sighing dramatically.
“Oh, I didn’t sleep,” Alexander popped his head back in the door. “Some emergency call from our offices in Australia kept me up. Had to resolve a client emergency.”
Thomas frowned at him. “Jesus Christ, Alex,” he exhaled. “No one in their right mind would have answered that.”
“That’s why they called me,” Alexander shrugged.
“You’re on vacation,” Thomas emphasized.
“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” Alexander said. “Now, come on, get dressed, we only have an hour to leave the house.”
Thomas sighed, pushing the covers off of him. He put on a sweater and the first pants he saw, grabbing their bags to put them downstairs. In the kitchen he found Mary and Arthur around the table, eating toasts or cereals, and Alexander serving himself another coffee in a travel mug. Thomas crossed the distance between them and took the mug from him.
“How many cups have you already had since midnight?” Thomas asked, holding it above his head, out of Alexander’s reach.
Alexander rolled his eyes. “Give it back, idiot, I need it. Do you want me to be a vegetable at TSA?”
“You know the doctor said you should cut back. Your blood pressure is already too high,” Thomas said.
“Okay, I’ll do that on another day,” Alexander argued. “Can you please just let me bring this to the airport?”
“But you already—”
“Woohoo, already fighting,” a tired-looking teenager mumbled, his hair a mess and still in his pajamas, dragging himself to the kitchen.
“We’re not fighting,” Thomas and Alexander answered at the same time, turning to him.
The teenager rolled his eyes, sitting down at the table and making himself a bowl of cereals.
“Why aren’t you ready, Phillip?” Alexander asked. “We’re leaving in twenty minutes, max.”
Phillip lazily looked up at him. “Do I look like I care?”
Alexander placed a hand down on the table, glaring down at him with another hand on his hip. “I sure hope you do, otherwise it’s going to be one hell of a long trip without any of your consoles or headphones available.”
Phillip’s face bittered. “I don’t even want to go on this stupid trip,” he retorted to Alexander, getting up.
“And I already told you this wasn’t to be discussed. You’ll like it there, anyway. I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss.”
“And why aren’t you listening to Dad and stop drinking coffee?” Phillip answered with a sarcastic tone. “Or did you stay up all night again?”
“That’s between me and him,” Alexander said, crossing his arms. “Now you better be ready by six-o-ten or you’ll be—”
“Okay, I got it,” Phillip exhaled, sarcastic. “And if you want me to wake up early like this again, you you should maybe think of making a bit less noise at night—”
“Phillip!” Alexander said, giving a glance to the younger two, his cheeks reddening subtly. “Watch your tongue, kid.”
Phillip rolled his eyes once more, climbing up the stairs.
Alexander watched him with a frown, running his hand over his face.
“What did Phillip mean?” Chimed Mary.
Thomas sighed. “Just eat, love. Don’t worry about that,” he patted her hair. “He’s just grumpy because he can’t spend Christmas with his girlfriend.”
“And Pops is mad because he doesn’t like her?” Arthur asked.
“It’s not that I—” Alexander turned to him, before thinning his lips. “I do like her, she’s a very nice lady. But family’s more important,” he said more calmly. “Now, Thomas, give me my coffee cup or I’ll chop your head off,” he added to Thomas in a whisper, standing next to him.
Thomas glanced down at him, unimpressed, but eventually relented.
Twenty minutes later, the five of them were out the door and packed into a car, Thomas on the driver's side.
“Are you sure we got everything we need?” Thomas asked Alexander.
“Yep,” Alexander said. “You have our passports?”
“All five,” Thomas answered. “And our plane tickets. You locked the door?”
“And closed the lights. All the baggage?”
“Normally. Phillip, you packed your things?” Thomas answered.
“Hm,” Phillip said.
“Did you set up the burglar alarm?” Alexander asked Thomas.
“I did, and I alerted our alarm company. You unplugged the electronics?”
Alexander frowned. “I think I did it all. Phillip, did you unplug—?”
“Of, for fuck’s sake, just drive,” Phillip complained.
“Language,” Alexander scolded him once more, turning toward the backseats. “And did you make sure your electronics were unplugged?” he repeated more sternly.
“I did,” Phillip said with a glare.
Alexander paused, observing him. “Okay, I believe you,” he answered, voice softer.
“Kids, you went to the bathroom?” Thomas asked the other two, who answered a resounding yes. “Alright, then we can go,” he smiled at Alexander
They started driving, Phillip putting his headphones on and the other two chit-chatting in the back. As they drove, Alexander's phone rang, and he quickly answered, as Thomas gave him a side glance.
“Hello, Mr. Darcy,” Alexander answered. “Oh, no need to thank me, I was glad to do it,” Alexander crossed his legs, smiling. “Oh,” Alexander’s smile dropped slightly. “I should adjust her portfolio again? Can’t you put Chris on it?” Alexander looked outside the window. “I understand, and tell her I’m flattered, but I’m on—” Alexander cut himself, listening to the man on the other line, and sighed. “Alright, I’ll be on it. I’ll call the research lead just now,” Alexander paused, taking in a breath and straightening his back. “No, thank you for the opportunity, sir. Our clients are my first and foremost priority.”
Alexander hung up, and avoided Thomas’ gaze.
“Alexander,” Thomas said, tone low. “What was that?”
“I just need to make a few calls,” Alexander said, going through his contacts.
“You should have said no, Alex,” Thomas said. “They have other people. You’re on vacation, on a break. We agreed to it: no work.”
“He cornered me,” Alexander argued. “What do you want me to do? Tell him off?”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “Enforce boundaries, Alexander. You’re always swamped in work, you deserve a break.”
“I’m fine,” Alexander said, bringing his phone to his ear. “Hey, Stephen, it’s Alexander. I’m sorry for the early call, I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time…”
“Jesus Christ,” Thomas sighed.
Soon, they arrived at the airport, and Alexander got out of the car, still focused on his call. They rolled in their baggage, with Thomas doing all the talking to the children, then at the check-in counter.
“The technology sector is still shaky, and real estate isn't stabilizing as quickly as we hoped. I need your insights on potential safe havens and strategic moves for…” Alexander said to his phone, a finger in his other ear to block out the sound of the airport.
“I need your insight on potential safe havens and strategic moves,” Phillip repeated while they were in line, mocking Alexander by imitating his tone and posture. Mary laughed and Thomas couldn’t help a slight smile— but Arthur stayed quiet, still worried about getting on a plane.
While Thomas talked to the check-in receptionist, Arthur came up to Alexander, pulling on his shirt. “Pops,” he said.
Alexander looked down, but simply shook his head at Arthur, continuing to speak with Stephen. “Margaret's main concern is protecting her retirement plans. We've got to strike a balance between stability and growth within her portfolio…”
But Arthur kept on pulling on him. Alexander placed the phone away from himself, turning to talk to Arthur. “Hey, kiddo. I’m sorry, I’m on an important call. What do you need?”
“I’m scared, Pops,” Arthur said. “There’s too many people.”
“You’re okay,” Alexander said. “Stay close to Daddy, he’ll keep a close eye on you.”
“He’s busy,” Arthur said.
“I’m busy, too,” Alexander answered. “Just stay close to us, okay?”
“But—”
“Hey, Stephen, sorry about that,” Alexander placed the phone back on his ear. “Yeah, I agree with you. And let's revisit the tech exposure—maybe shift some funds to sectors with more consistent performance…”
Arthur frowned, unhappy. Phillip observed them closely, and glared at his father, who was still focused on his work. He took Arthur’s hand, bending over to talk to his little brother. “Don’t worry, Archy, I’m there. I’ll make sure to protect you and, worst case scenario, we can push Pops in the way as a sacrifice.”
“I don’t want that,” Arthur answered, looking down.
Phillip rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he won’t notice. He could be impaled alive and he would still be yapping about finance stuff.”
“Alright, children, time to get on moving,” Thomas said, finally done with checking in. “We need to get through security. You know, the big metal detectors? It can be scary, so Arthur, you’ll go with me, and Mary, you go with Alex—” Thomas stopped himself, as he saw Alexander was still unavailable. “Mary, you go with Phillip. Any questions?”
Phillip feigned raising his hands. “Should we leave him here and see if he can catch up?” he asked, motioning toward Alexander.
“No,” Thomas said sternly, putting a hand on Alexander’s back to make sure he would follow.
They managed to make it through the security check quickly enough, Alexander finally hanging up to get through the metal detectors.
“Thank God we didn’t get randomly selected for additional screening this time,” Alexander told Thomas, putting his shoes back on.
“Agreed,” Thomas sighed, stretching his back. “You holding up?” he asked Alexander.
“I’m fine,” Alexander waved him off. “I’m sorry I can’t help any more. I still have to handle the situation with the client. More calls, then on the plane I have to work some more on my laptop.”
Thomas gave him a worried look. “You didn’t sleep the whole night, and once off the plane we still have a lot to do. Are you sure you can’t delegate to someone else?”
“I’ll sleep at the hotel,” Alexander said. “Thank you for handling everything,” he added with a small smile.
“Say no next time, okay?” Thomas answered.
They made their way through baggage claim and customs, then began the wait for their flight to be called. They sat around chairs, Alexander engrossed in calls, and Thomas playing with the two youngest while he reluctantly allowed Phillip to go walk around.
At around nine, Alexander helped Arthur and Mary board the aircraft while Thomas waited outside for Phillip to show up. Thomas crossed his arms, waiting anxiously, and at the last boarding call, Phillip came running.
“You’re never walking off alone again,” Thomas told him while giving the employee his and Phillip’s ticket.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear,” Phillip answered, breathless.
Thomas rolled his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he told Phillip. “Come on, let’s find our seats.”
“You know, Dad, you’re too apologetic of Pops’ behavior,” Phillip said. “You should—”
“Your father’s doing his best,” Thomas answered softly. “I’ll handle it in the way I think is most productive. Being accusative right now doesn’t help anyone.”
“Well, he certainly isn’t helping you,” Phillip said as they walked through the narrow aisles of the plane.
“He is,” Thomas retorted. “Should I remind you he’s the one that coordinated us this morning and let me sleep in?”
“He’s the one that decided not to sleep,” Phillip answered.
“Sweetheart, this isn’t up for discussion. Be kind to your father every once in a while.”
“It’s not my fault we—”
“Phillip, drop it,” Thomas said as they approached their seats. Alexander was trying to put their carry-ons in the overhead bin, but had a hard time reaching it. Thomas stepped in to help, smiling at Alexander.
“Don’t make fun of me,” Alexander said with a grin.
“I would never,” Thomas answered sarcastically. “Now, we agreed that Mary and Arthur, you both get a window seat since this is your first flight. Philip, you’re next to Mary, and Arthur, I’m next to you. Alex, you take the aisle seat next to me. Everybody on board?”
“Ugh, I have to be next to a stranger,” Phillip complained.
“Your dad will kick the back of their seat if they bother you,” Thomas answered.
“Reassuring,” Phillip answered, sitting down.
Thomas sat down next to Arthur, who looked up at him, scared. Thomas softened, taking the child’s hand. “We’ll be okay, love,” Thomas told him. “There’s no reason to be scared. I’m right here if anything happens, I’ll make sure you stay safe, okay?”
Arthur squeezed his hand back, leaning toward him for safety. As the plane began taking off, his eyes teared up with fear, and Thomas wrapped his arms around him.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Thomas whispered. “Daddy’s here. You’re okay.”
After a moment, the turbulence of the take off wore down, and Thomas leaned away. “Hey, Archy,” Thomas whispered. “Open your eyes.”
Arthur did so after a moment, and Thomas carefully opened the window next to him. “Look how pretty it is. We’re up in the clouds, like birds.”
Arthur observed it with a frown. Thomas kissed the top of his head. “Don’t you think it’s pretty?” Thomas asked.
“It is,” Arthur relented.
Thomas smiled, ruffling his hair lightly. “We’ll be okay, sweetheart. Ask Phillip, he knows all about it. He was scared just like you when he was younger, but look at him now: he’s probably already trying to sleep.”
In front of Them Phillip’s seat shifted, as he turned around to face Thomas. “I wasn’t scared,” Phillip said. “Don’t talk behind my back like that.”
Thomas grinned. “Oh, you weren’t?” he asked.
“He was,” Mary said, imitating Phillip by turning around.
“You were five, you don’t remember,” Phillip said.
“I do,” Mary retorted. “I have a good memory, like Pops.”
“What about Dad? He’s got a good memory, too,” Phillip said.
“Exactly. And he remembers that you were scared,” she answered.
Phillip rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Thomas chuckled, and was pleased to see Arthur smiling too.
The first hour went by relatively smoothly, Thomas putting on a movie to watch with Arthur. However, toward the end of the movie, he felt someone’s head fall on his shoulder. He looked down at Alexander, whose computer was open on two different pages as a split screen, which he had been working on since he sat down. But now, his eyes were closed tightly and he seemed fast asleep, and Thomas sighed, as he realized Alexander was most likely exhausted. But Alexander had also made work commitments, which Thomas knew, to his dismay, that they were very important to him.
Thomas shifted to let him lay on his shoulder more comfortably, Alexander snuggling against him. Thomas promised himself that he would wake him up in an hour.