Work Text:
Jeremiah was cuddled up on the sofa, about to fall asleep while he watched the trees outside, as they were gently swayed back and forth by the wind. It was weird to finally be... safe. The last eight years had been a rough time for him, with everyone having to recover from the war, while being painfully aware of the fact that the cubes had not been defeated, only scared away. Deep down he had always known, that the first cube war had not been their last one. And that lingering feeling of anxiety, underlying in every move he made, every sentence he spoke, every choice he settled on, had worn him down more than he had been aware of.
He had been forced to function. With his husband not being able to work full time, still physically and mentally recovering from the war. With his parents having too many of their own challenges to support him. And with the whole country and society around them still trying to recover from the violence and destruction that had shattered humanity to its core.
But now there was peace. The cube armies had been sent to earth, not to destroy this time, but to help. Human and cubical scientists had been working together since, to support both their societies. The cube troops had even been helping the humans to build back their destroyed cities, making the recovery from this second war a lot easier.
And Jeremiah - well he was kind of a war hero now, wasn´t he? He had helped to win the war, at least a little bit. Most of the work had obviously been done by Bubba, whose life had been turned upside down even more since the end of the war. He could walk again; better than ever before, he had been promoted, working as a Crisis Recovery Strategist now and serving the country once again - though not as a solider this time.
And most importantly: They were both able to heal, for the first time in many years. Not only had the weight of a potential second war been lifted off of their shoulders, but all the worries that had been prevalent even before the first war had started were not relevant anymore either. Him and Bubba were not only dating now, they were married. They both had jobs in which they earned enough to keep them afloat with ease. They finally led the life they had both been dreaming of for years. The warm blanket of security that had settled on Jeremiah´s shoulders since the end of the war still somehow felt too good to be true.
Tomorrow was the 24th of december. It would be the eleventh time, he and Bubba would spend that day together. And still, this year everything would be different and new. The first time they would be able to thoroughly enjoy it. The first time they would feel truly safe. The first time they could be their actual selves.
Their first real Christmas celebrations together.