Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1.

Jack O’Malley didn’t claim to be good. Sure, he was working on it (working on it pretty hard, may he say) but he still wasn’t everything he was striving to be. It’s hard to come back from being a “level-four naughty lister” after all, and even with his recent revelations and the changes that came with them, it was a process that would take time and effort.

All this to say, Jack wasn’t good… yet. But he was really, really trying. He started with saving Christmas—two words he never thought he’d say—but once he had done that, he realized that the really shocking part was how hard the rest of it was. Rescuing Santa from an evil Christmas witch hadn’t exactly been a piece of cake, but Jack would rather do that any day than try to look for a job after having an almost decade-long gap in his resume. He couldn’t exactly put “world renowned criminal hacker” on there and expect to get a job at McDonald’s.

He had started out hopeful, figuring that anyone who actually saw what he could do with a computer would be willing to look past the oddness of his application, but as the weeks dragged on and Jack was still no closer to finding a job, he slowly lost any notions that this process might be easy.

It didn’t help that his kidnapper-turned-Santa-rescuing-partner was still checking in on him, either. Despite the fact that Callum had only known Jack for a few weeks (and, let’s be real, they had only actually been on the same continent for a few of those hours), he texted quite frequently to ask Jack how he was doing. Jack usually just replied with a polite “good, how are you?” or something to that effect, but it was during one of these routine conversations on the day Jack got his latest rejection email that Callum finally heard about his employment problems.

Callum

How was your day?

Fine. Dylan got an A on his math test,

I got rejected for another job

That’s great for Dylan!

What do you mean, “another job”?

I’ve been trying to find a new job, but 

because of the gap in my resume, no one 

seems to want to sit down with me.

Can’t exactly explain that I was 

one of the best criminal trackers 

in the world during that time

That makes sense.

Good luck, though.

Callum put down his smartphone (a recent acquisition, bought after Jack asked how they would keep in touch) and frowned. He wasn’t very familiar with the human world; hadn’t spent any meaningful length of time there in a few hundred years; but he was a little disappointed at how fast he forgot its ways. Of course Jack couldn’t get a job, he probably hadn’t had a “real” one since he was a teenager.

Callum’s instinct to help kicked in then, at the thought of his friend trying to do something good but failing because of others’ less than open ideas. Jack was trying to turn his life around, and Callum would be damned if he let some small-minded human executives ruin that.

Speaking into his vambrace, he sent a message to Zoe asking if there was a position at M.O.R.A. for Jack. He had saved Christmas, after all, and Callum knew that had to count for something.

***

Callum got a reply before the day was out. We’d love to have him! Zoe had written, I’ll ask him ASAP.

Great, he had replied, smiling. Jack really did deserve this, and Callum had no doubts about his potential. Although… Jack himself might not share that view. Callum could’ve kicked himself. Did he really think that Jack would just accept his help? The man who’d refused to let anyone in for the entirety of his adult life, accepting help from a friend? No way.

And Zoe? Callum typed out hurriedly, please don’t tell Jack I asked you this.

Aye, aye, captain, she sent back, and he smiled imagining it in her wry tone. He shut off the vambrace and lowered his arm, returning his attention to the current task.

***

Incoming Caller: Jack

Callum picked up his phone as it buzzed in his pocket, immediately accepting the call. There was only one person who had the number, after all, and he didn’t think Jack would call him unless it was important.

“Hello?”

“Hey man,” Jack said, voice coming through slightly distorted, “just wanted to let you know I got a job. Finally.”

“That’s great,” Callum replied. He was glad, for once, that Jack only had access to rudimentary human technology. He didn’t think he could have handled it if Jack knew that he was smiling.

“Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s actually at M.O.R.A. ‘Human liaison to the North Pole.’ Zoe called me and asked if I wanted to do it out of the blue today.”

“That’s pretty lucky,” Callum replied, wondering why Jack didn’t exactly sound enthused.

“I was just wondering, though, since I told you about it yesterday and now I’m getting mythical job offers from one of your best friends, whether it might have had anything to do with you?”

“What? Me? Of course not,” Callum said, trying to make it sound convincing. He failed, of course, because Jack had more experience with liars and lying than anyone else he had ever met.

“So you had nothing to do with this at all?” Jack asked skeptically. There was a beat of silence, then Jack continued, thinking maybe the call had cut off. “Callum?”

“Okay, fine, I asked her if there was a spot for you at M.O.R.A.” Jack started to speak, but quickly cut him off, not finished yet. “But! All I did was ask if there was anything you could apply for. I never asked her to find you a job you wouldn’t be good at. I’m telling you, she told me she was excited to have you on the team. You still deserve the job, Jack, all I did was make Zoe aware of that.”

“Okay, okay!” Jack said with a chuckle, “I get it. That was, uh, that was nice of you. Maybe just, like… don’t do it again? I get that you wanted to help, but I’m trying to be good for myself, y’know? I want to feel like I earned it, not like I just coasted by because I called in a favor.”

“Yeah, I understand. I won’t do it again. But you do know that asking for help still means you accomplished something, right? You’re still a better person, even if it took some support from someone else to get you there.”

“Yeah, I, uh… thanks, Callum.”

“Anytime. Now, I gotta go because Nick is currently trapped in what looks like a very awkward conversation, but I’ll talk to you soon, alright?”

“Totally. See you later,” Jack answered, then hung up the phone. As he placed it facedown on the coffee table in his living room, he felt somehow… lighter than before. Like maybe he was good, after all.

Chapter Text

2.

Jack O’Malley had a problem. It was two days before his lease was up, and he had exactly zero other people to help him move. Olivia and Craig were both caught up at work, and even Dylan, his last resort, had school and then jazz band practice until six. Normally, Jack was just fine with the admittedly small number of people in his life, but it was times like these that made him wish he had placed a little more priority on making friends.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been a problem if all he needed to move was small items, could even probably transport an armchair by himself if it was necessary, but the bigger ticket items like the couch and his bed frame required at least two people. Required two people if Jack wanted to keep his spine intact, that is.

He was thinking this quandary through when his phone rang, the festive ringtone and large banner giving it away as Callum.

“Hyello,” Jack answered lightly. Ever since Jack had started his new job and, consequently, started seeing Callum more often, their phone calls had grown more frequent. Where before he had seen Callum as more of a trauma-bonded acquaintance, he now found himself viewing the man in a fonder light.

“‘Hyello’? What kind of greeting is that?” Callum asked, immediately distracted from the reason he had called Jack.

“I don’t know! I’m starting to get more into the dad jokes thing, I think that spending more time around Dylan has somehow made me more sarcastic.” Callum laughed at that, the image of Jack and Dylan snarking back and forth at each other too much for him.

“So, why’d you call?” Jack asked once they were both done chuckling.

“Oh, no reason, just finished up my shift and figured I’d call.” Jack smiled, always getting a little confidence boost when Callum said things like that.

“Nice. How was it?”

“Oh, same as usual. Joan from Decorations was in a fuss because someone tilted a nutcracker a few degrees too far to the left, so I had to deal with that. How about you, how was your day?”

Snickering at the image of an elf flipping out over an errant nutcracker, Jack replied, “Honestly, I’ve kinda got a problem right now. I’m trying to move so I can be closer to Dylan, but Olivia and Craig are both busy at work for the foreseeable future and I don’t have anyone else who can help me with the bigger furniture. I have to be out two days from now, but if I don’t do it today, I won’t have time for everything else. Any ideas?” It was silent on the other end of the line for a moment while Callum thought. Then, all at once, an idea came to him.

“You know, I could come and help.” This time it was Jack’s turn to be silent. He couldn’t have explained why, but Callum saying that sent a rush of excitement and nerves through him all at the same time.

“You’re sure? You’re not too busy, or anything?” Callum shook his head before remembering Jack couldn’t see him, then replied verbally.

“No, I’m totally free. Do you want me to come over now?”

“Yeah, that, uh, that sounds great! Thanks, man.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in five.” Without another word, Callum hung up and spun on his heel towards the Hangar, worried and happy all at once as he walked toward the vehicles.

***

Five minutes later, Jack opened the door to Callum standing just outside the threshold.

“Oh!”Jack said, a little surprised, “You really did mean five minutes.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Callum asked, completely serious. Sometimes Jack forgot how differently things worked in the North Pole.

“Uh, no reason. Come on in!” Jack stepped back, gesturing around the room as if showing off a prized collection.

“It’s very… empty,” Callum said, a hint of something in his voice that Jack couldn’t quite place. The words made his heart sink, though, and looking around the room, he realized that it really did look empty.

“Yeah, uh, I guess it does.” Ever since Jack had made the decision to change his life, he had been slowly realizing that he hadn’t actually been happy in his previous one. He had thought that doing his “dream” job, making tons of money and then gambling it all away every night was what he wanted to be doing with his life. But ever since that fateful Christmas Eve, he had seen that life for what it really was: not much of a life at all.

Jack noticed Callum staring at him and quickly spoke, trying to undercut the tension and sadness in the air, “So, what do you want to start with? The moving van is downstairs, so we just need to load everything in and then take it out again at the new place.”

It was silent for a beat as Callum digested the change of subject, but he quickly recovered. “You said on the phone that the couch needs to be moved, right?” Jack nodded. “Then let’s start with that.”

They quickly got ready, Jack explaining what he thought was the best method before Callum came up with an entirely different and entirely better plan. Jack agreed to that one, and they both took their places at either end of the couch.

“Alright, three, two, one, go!” Jack called out, and the couch lifted off the ground as they both strained to lift it. Well, Jack strained. Callum just kind of lifted.

They awkwardly maneuvered it through the door and around the corner into the hallway, Callum going backwards down the stairs and taking the brunt of the weight. Jack would have said he felt bad for making Callum work harder, but a centuries-old magical being of unimaginable strength versus a regular old human? He’d let Callum take more weight any day.

Besides, Callum could handle it. Jack watched him as they carried the sofa out onto the sidewalk and heaved it onto the truck, and despite the fact that they were hidden under the fabric of his shirt, Jack couldn’t help but notice Callum’s arms. They were the kind of arms that bodybuilders wished they had; the kind of arms you knew belonged to someone who went to the gym everyday, not just once a month.

“So, desk next?” Callum asked, snapping Jack out of his thoughts.

“Oh, uh. Yeah.”

The next few hours were spent like that, with an innumerable amount of trips up and down the stairs in order to move all of Jack’s stuff out of the apartment. The computers were especially difficult, seeing as how they were very delicate, and had to be moved in a certain way; but watching Callum handle the expensive equipment like a pro made Jack think some things he didn’t want to say out loud. Mostly just single words like wow or vague auras of amazement, but there were some other—more confusing—thoughts, too. Thoughts that Jack had never really thought about a man before.

Anyway, he was sure it was nothing. He was probably just stressed, or tired, or something. These feelings would just… go away on their own. Right?

“I think that’s all of it,” Jack said, shutting the door of the moving van and smiling painfully wide at Callum. Everything is fine, he thought to himself, and he tried to project that into the world. Callum looked a little skeptical, but seemed to brush it off, deciding that pushing it wasn’t worth the effort.

“So, now we just unload it at the new place?” he asked, already walking around to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

“Yeah. Also, do you even know where we’re going?” Jack didn’t think Callum even knew how to drive on populated human roads, much less transport an entire moving van’s worth of furniture to a location he had never seen before.

“Yeah, ‘course I do. I checked it when you first told me you were moving there,” Callum stated matter-of-factly, pulling away from the curb expertly and keeping his eyes on the road. Jack’s jaw dropped.

“What do you mean, ‘checked it out’?”

Callum, realizing his mistake, hurriedly explained: “I checked it out to make sure it was safe. Y’know, for you and Dylan? Just a precaution.”

“Oookay,” Jack answered, drawing out the first vowel, “and what did you find?”

“No problems. One window lock was faulty, so I replaced it, but other than that everything was in order.”

“Great,” Jack replied, both creeped out and warmed by the thought of Callum checking the house. He decided that it was more sweet than weird in the end, because protecting the people he cared about seemed to be the way that Callum actually showed he cared. If he took the time out of his busy schedule to make sure that Jack and his son were safe, Jack would count that as a gift.

Thanks to Callum’s annoyingly competent driving skills, they were at the new place before Jack could even blink. The two made quick work of unloading the truck, the removal of the stairs a welcome relief. Soon enough, the new living room was full of unloaded moving boxes and a couch, which sat in the middle of the empty room. Jack and Callum stood there, surveying their work contentedly.

“Thanks for helping out,” Jack said, leaning against one of the piles of boxes, “it went a lot faster with you here.” Callum turned to him, smiling, and Jack was suddenly glad he was holding onto something as his brain went blank and his knees went weak.

“Yeah, it was actually kind of fun. Thanks for letting me help.” There was a pause, and then: “I’ll head out now.”

“Wait!” Jack called out, quicker than was strictly normal, “Do you want to, like, get pizza or somethin’? On me?” He waited with bated breath, unsure of why he wanted Callum to stay longer, just knowing that he did. Callum checked his—what were they called again? Oh, yeah— his vambrace, then looked up.

“Yeah, I think I can do that.” He smiled again, and this time, Jack smiled back.

Chapter Text

3.

“Jack?” Zoe called out, looking around the room while holding a bulging file in her hands.

“Yes ma’am,” Jack O’Malley said in reply, standing up and inclining his head to her. “What’s up?”

“You have a meeting tomorrow with Red. The senior liaison was supposed to go, but she got sick, so it’s your turn now. Don’t disappoint me!” she explained, her tone surprisingly bright for how threatening her gaze was.

“Yes, ma’am,” he repeated, and she nodded, quickly spinning on her heel and walking briskly away. Jack physically felt the tension in his shoulders lessen as he blew out a breath watching her walk away. Zoe was incredibly kind, and he would always be grateful to her for this job, but she was terrifying when she wanted to be.

He sat down and opened the file, starting to read. It seemed a meeting was necessary to discuss how Christmas had gone and what might need to be accounted for next year as preparations began. Jack wasn’t sure how helpful he’d be, seeing as how he was still new to the job, but he decided he would simply try his hardest to be as useful as possible, starting with researching everything mentioned in the file as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

***

One week later, Jack was walking towards the main conference room at the North Pole, the same file clutched in his hands. He had visited the North Pole since that fateful Christmas Eve, had grown accustomed to the atmosphere and people, but in all those visits he had barely even spoken to the Man in Charge. They had exchanged pleasantries, and the man had even thanked Jack for what he had done (Santa Claus! Had thanked Jack!) but they had never really worked together in a professional sense.

All of this, combined with the fact that this was his first big assignment and he didn’t want to disappoint Zoe made Jack extremely apprehensive. His nerves, he realized, would only make him more likely to make a mistake, but that thought just made them worse. Jack was freaking out, and he knew he was spiraling, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

His anxiety got so bad that by the time he actually reached for the door to the room they were meeting in, he noticed his hand was shaking. He pulled it back, panicking about what he could do to stop it before he felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder.

“Everything okay?” the person asked, and Jack spun around to see… Callum. And just behind Callum, a little further down the hallway— yep, okay, that’s Santa Claus.

“Yeah, uh, yep, everything’s fine!” Jack replied, quickly trying to play off his nerves. He tucked his hands behind his back, hoping that Callum hadn’t noticed the tremors.

“Are you sure?” Callum continued, and Jack nodded, probably a tad bit too enthusiastically. Jack noticed Callum’s gaze flicking to where his hands were hidden before he spoke again.

“Alright then. Are you ready?” Jack nodded again, this time in a slightly more normal fashion. He didn’t want to speak in case Callum somehow figured out how scared he was just by listening to him. Callum frowned, seemingly picking up on it anyway, and made sure Jack was looking into his eyes before he spoke next.

“Look, don’t worry about this. You’re going to do great. It’s a routine meeting, you know what you’re doing, and Nick likes you. Just don’t give him a macaroon or insult Mrs. Claus and you’ll be fine.” Once again, Jack nodded, this time not out of fear but something akin to awe. He was amazed by how readily Callum was willing to help him, and by how actually helpful it was. Nobody had ever had such a strong effect on him using so few words, and Jack was kind of awestruck by how immediately he felt better.

Then: “Ready to go in, Cal?” That was Santa. Okay, this is actually happening. As Callum nodded, Jack’s brain quickly filed away that he apparently had a nickname? He was too preoccupied to examine that now, but Jack wouldn’t soon forget that little tidbit of information. They all three walked in, Jack and St. Nick sitting down across from each other at the table while Callum (Cal?) looked on from behind Nick.

“So, do we want to get this party started?”

***

Shockingly for Jack, the meeting went well. Just like Callum had said, it was a routine debrief-like discussion, and Jack hadn’t actually had to add very much information or insight to the conversation. He had done enough research to hold his own, Nick was surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending on how you look at it) fun to talk to, and getting to watch Callum in action hadn’t been bad, either. Honestly, it had gone way better than Jack thought it would, and for that, he was grateful.

It was decided that Callum would show Jack to the Hangar, seeing as how he was heading there already and Jack didn’t know the way. They walked for a while, chatting comfortably about work and weather before Jack remembered what he had wanted to ask Callum about.

“Hey, do people call you ‘Cal’?”

“Yeah, it’s, uh, something my friends call me,” he replied fondly, a little confused.

“Oh, so am I not a friend?” Jack asked, putting a hand to his chest and feigning offense.

“No, no, of course we are! Call me Cal, if you want,” Cal replied quickly, understanding that Jack was joking but also wanting to make sure he knew that they were friends.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just kidding with you. I think I will start using Cal, though, if you don’t mind. It’s kinda… punchy. Gets to the point, y’know?”

“Whatever you say, Jack.” Jack laughed at that, and they continued talking amiably until they both arrived at the Hangar.

“Bye, Cal,” Jack said, placing special emphasis on the second word.

“Goodbye, Jack,” Cal replied seriously.

“Ugh, you’re no fun. See you later!” Jack walked back towards the transport he had arrived in, and Cal headed in the opposite direction.

As he watched Cal walk away, Jack felt a keen sense of disappointment somewhere in his chest. He was starting to realize that he missed Cal more and more whenever they were apart, and he wanted it to last longer and longer whenever they were together. He wasn’t sure at that moment exactly what it meant—that was something he’d have to think more about later, in the safety of his own home—but he knew that he was feeling things he had never felt for anyone else he’d ever met before. Knowing this, and feeling how right it was, meant that Jack was going to do everything in his power to not let Cal get away.

Chapter Text

4.

Jack O’Malley and his son, Dylan, walked into the party together. They marveled at the decor, how the lights sparkled and twinkled, covering the whole room in a magical glow. There were mechanical statues that moved, garlands on every surface that would hold them, and fake snowflakes even fell softly from the sky. Servers traveled around with plates full of cookies, and Jack snagged two off of a nearby tray, passing one to Dylan as they both took in the room.

This was the annual ‘Christmas in July’ party hosted by Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Jack had to admit, it was pretty spectacular. He didn’t think he’d ever been to a party with ice sculptures that magically changed shape every ten minutes or sentient polar bears as guards, and the surreal nature of it only made it that much more exciting. Dylan seemed awestruck too, unable to do much more than stare until he noticed something too interesting to pass up.

“Um, Dad, do you see that?” Dylan asked, eyes wide as saucers.

“No, what is it?” Jack said distractedly, still mesmerized by the atmosphere of the party.

“I think it’s Frosty the Snowman.” Jack’s head snapped up, and he quickly scanned the room.

“No way.”

“Seriously, look over there!” Sure enough, to Jack’s immense surprise and delight, Dylan was right. A gigantic, sentient, anthropomorphic snowman was standing in the corner with a small group of people gathered around him. It looked almost like he was chatting.

“Oh. My. God,” Jack said, in awe. This place never failed to surprise him.

“What’s so shocking?” Cal asked, sidling up to Jack. Jack jumped, surprised by the man’s quiet footsteps, before quickly relaxing and even reaching out to pat Cal on the back.

“Oh, nothing. Just me being surprised that another mythical character is actually real.”

“Come on, man! You should be used to that by now,” Cal joked, elbowing Jack lightly.

“I know, right? You’d think that after literally saving Christmas I wouldn’t be surprised, but oh well. Guess some things just never change.”

“You can say that for sure,” Cal agreed, and they both chuckled. “So, wait, whose existence were you surprised by?”

“Turns out Frosty the Goddamn Snowman is real,” Jack replied, and Cal laughed, taken by surprise at how funny he found it. He was loud enough that people turned and looked at them, trying to decipher what had warranted that reaction. Cal couldn’t blame them, he wasn’t usually a “laugh-out-loud” kind of guy, but something about Jack just made him want to smile.

“Yeah, he’s pretty popular around here.”

“Wait, I’m sorry, you mean to tell me that my dad has been working here for months and you neglected to tell me that Frosty the Snowman was real?” That was Dylan, who didn’t seem to be feigning his offense, and once again Jack was amazed at his kid. Dylan had met Callum once, in the middle of a life-threatening and potentially world-endingly catastrophic series of events, and he was upset that Cal didn’t tell him about a magical snowman? This kid really had his priorities straight.

“That’s my bad, Dylan, but if you want to, you can go up and say hi. He loves kids, and he usually has a candy cane or two on him for particularly polite ones,” Cal said, leaning in conspiratorially.

“Awesome,” Dylan whispered, and ran off to go talk to Frosty. There was a moment of quiet while they watched him go, tracking his movement across the crowded room.

“He’s a good kid,” Cal said, and Jack smiled fondly. Dylan really was a good kid. Jack knew he couldn’t really take credit for that, acknowledged that Olivia was really the one who made Dylan the way that he was, but it didn’t mean Jack liked people complimenting his son any less.

“Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

***

About an hour later, Jack and Cal were seated at one of the tables scattered across the room. With Frosty quickly forgotten, Dylan had moved on to hanging out with the other people his age at the party. He was currently trying (and failing) to score the phone number of one of the North Pole girls while Jack and Cal joked about his flirting technique. When the girl eventually rejected him, Dylan slunk back to the new friends he had made, shaking his head at them dejectedly to show that it had been a bust. Jack and Cal tried to hold in their laughter at the sorry sight, but the unfiltered disappointment on Dylan’s face was a little bit too much for both of them.

“So,” Cal said, wiping the tears of laughter out of his eyes, “Dylan’s into girls?”

“Oh yeah. He’s in that phase right now where everyone around him either has a girlfriend or is talking about getting one, and I think he’s trying to fit in, but I also think he genuinely likes flirting. He’s always been a little charmer, but I think he’s a romantic at heart and he’s just waiting for his love story to come around,” Jack replied, looking at his son, who had already perked up and was talking animatedly to the others. Even though he didn’t have the best luck with girls, Jack was still proud of him for trying, and even more for being respectful when he was rejected. This girl wasn’t the one, but Jack knew that one day Dylan would find a great girl to fall in love with, and they would be happy together.

“Yeah, I get that. I was kinda like that too, as a kid, though the person I had a crush on never would have liked me back,” Cal reminisced, staring off into the distance as if remembering his days of being a preteen Casanova.

“Oh? And who would your crush be?” Jack asked, suddenly very curious.

“James Thompson, although we called him Jimmy. Back when I grew up, it was unacceptable to be anything but a perfect, cookie-cutter mold of society’s ‘values’, which is why I loved it so much here when I started.”

“So you like guys?” Jack asked, feeling as if something was clicking inside of him.

“Yeah, I do. You got a problem with that?” Cal asked, a little defensive. After years of negative reactions, he had learned to be a little bit on guard when he first told people.

“No, no, of course not! Like whoever you want, I don’t care as long as everyone’s happy. It’s just… really cool to me how accepting the people here are. They’re centuries ahead of the human world.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice. Everyone has such a long lifespan here that they realize what’s important and what’s not and, like you said, as long as everyone’s happy people don’t much care who you date.”

“That’s… that’s really, really awesome. The human world is— well, let’s just say the human world isn’t like that.”

“Yeah, I know. It really sucks.” Seeing Jack’s frankly dour expression, Cal continued, “Has anything happened to you?”

“To me? No, no, nothing that bad, I’ve honestly said I was straight since, well, since forever. Recently I’ve started to—” he paused, thinking, “—realize some things about myself, and that’s been a whole process, but nothing outwardly hateful has happened to me. It’s just hard because that stuff does happen to other people.”

“Well, if you ever need a hand, or a break from it all, you can always visit here. We’re plenty welcoming, as you can pretty much see.” Jack smiled, and Callum looked back at him.

Despite the serious topic they had been discussing a few moments ago, the energy in their gazes was electric. Maybe it was something about having it all out in the open now, or maybe it was just the glass of eggnog each that they had consumed, but it felt like something had changed between them, something irrevocable. Something that Jack didn’t want to go away. Then:

“Boss!” Garcia called out, running up to them.

“What is it?” Cal asked, immediately in work mode. Jack felt the loss of connection as if it were the amputation of a limb.

“The animals from the petting zoo are loose!” Sure enough, Garcia pointed, and Jack could see a general atmosphere of chaos as swans, partridges, and geese flew around squawking at guests.

“Sorry, Jack, I have to deal with this. Talk later?” Cal asked, already standing up from the table.

“Yeah, ‘course. Talk later,” Jack conceded, unreasonably disappointed. Cal smiled and nodded his goodbye, then left. Jack watched as he walked off to go put out another fire.

***

On the ride back home, Jack listened as Dylan spouted off all the fun things he had seen and done at the party. He was in the middle of a tale involving wire cutters, a chain-link fence, and bird poop, but Jack was having a hard time focusing on it. All he could think about was how Cal had looked at him right before he had to run off.

“Dad, are you even listening?” Dylan asked, breaking Jack out of his thoughts. He sighed, debated quickly whether to lie or tell the truth, and then decided to be honest.

“No bud, sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind, but I’ll try to pay attention.”

“No, no, it’s fine, that story wasn’t that interesting anyway. What are you thinking about?” Dylan asked, and Jack was struck again by how sweet of a kid he had gotten. He decided that if Dylan was willing to do that for him, the least he could do was be honest about himself. So, Jack took a deep, steadying breath, then asked:

“Dylan, what would you think if I told you I liked guys?” Dylan was quiet for a moment, and Jack’s heart sank.

“This is about Cal, isn’t it?” Dylan said, and suddenly everything was okay again.

Jack nodded, smiling with closed lips as he fought to keep the tears from welling up. “How’d you know?”

“Dad, did you really think you were hiding it well? Any reasonable person could tell from a mile away that you want to jump each other’s bones.”

“Dylan!” Jack chastised, fighting back a laugh as Dylan just shrugged.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it.” They both laughed at that, and there was a moment in which Jack just enjoyed being with his son.

“So, you’re really okay with me liking him?” Jack asked after a while.

“Of course. As long as you stay my dad, I’ll love you however you are.” The sweet words were too much for Jack, and he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

“Come here, buddy,” he said, holding out his arms. They hugged, and as Jack held his son, he didn’t think there was much else in the world that could make him any happier.

Chapter Text

5.

When Jack O’Malley picked up the phone, the last thing he expected was an emergency phone call from Zoe. It was late November, two days after Thanksgiving, and Jack had been spending his day off relaxing at home, eating leftover mashed potatoes, and watching football reruns. All in all, he was having a great Saturday, and he was a little disappointed to be interrupted by a Christmas crisis. His disappointment was mitigated, though, when he learned what the assignment would be.

“We’ve had some anti-Christmas phenomena in a town in Michigan that we want you to go check out. Callum Drift will be coming with you on this assignment, both as the representative of the North Pole team and as security, should it be necessary. He’s on his way to pick you up right now, and you’ll head to the site as soon as he gets there. Oh, and Jack?” Zoe asked, pausing after her thorough explanation.

“Yeah?” he asked, already frantically switching off the T.V. and putting his bowl in the sink.

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you on your day off. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”

“No, I understand,” Jack replied, and he really did. He may not have been happy about it a moment earlier, but at least this was getting him out of the house. And, his traitorous brain reminded him, you’ll get to see Cal again.

“Thank you, Jack. For understanding and for being so willing to help out. I really appreciate it,” Zoe said, grateful.

“Yeah, ‘course. It’s no problem.” Just then, there was a knock at his door.

“I think that’s Cal—Callum, I mean. I better go. G’bye, ma’am.”

“Bye, Jack,” Zoe said, before promptly ending the call. Jack smiled slightly, shaking his head. Zoe never wasted an unnecessary second. He walked to the door, opening it and then stepping back to grab his shoes.

“Hey,” Cal said, standing in his doorway. Jack was reminded of the last time he had seen Cal in this house. “I trust Zoe has already explained the situation to you?”

“Yeah,” Jack replied, struggling into his boots. “Something about ‘anti-Christmas phenomena’.”

“Yeah, it’s looking like we’ve got a code G.R.I.N.C.H. on our hands,” Cal said matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean, ‘code G.R.I.N.C.H.’?” Jack asked, now grabbing his coat and walking out the door.

“‘Grouchy, Rude, Intolerable, and Naughty Creatures or Helpers.’ Basically just someone who acts on their anti-Christmas sentiments.” Jack nodded as if this made all the sense in the world, stepping into the seemingly normal looking car that was parked out front.

As soon as Cal stepped in, though, it was clear that this was not a normal car. For one, instead of dice hanging from the mirror, it was two little Santa hats. For another, it was actually able to teleport from one location to another, meaning that Jack and Callum ended up where they needed to be in a matter of seconds.

“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed when he realized where they were, still shocked by the level of technology the North Pole had managed to achieve.

“Ready to go?” Cal asked, laser-focused on the task ahead of them. Jack figured it would be useless to comment on what they had just experienced, seeing as how Callum had literally no reaction to it, so he just agreed.

“Sure, let’s do it.”

***

They quickly found the center of the phenomena, zeroing in on a small warehouse on the outskirts of the town. The area around it was deserted,seemingly devoid of life but for the two of them. They walked through as quickly as possible, Jack feeling uneasy at the complete stillness in the air.

When they reached the door to the warehouse, Cal signaled for Jack to be quiet, then slowly and carefully opened the door. Once it had swung wide enough for them to fit through, Cal motioned for Jack to follow after him.

As they crept inside, Jack couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There were piles upon piles of lights, presents, cookies, toys, and other Christmassy items all stacked up and covered in dust. The place looked like a graveyard where anything Christmas came to die.

“What the…” Cal whispered under his breath, taking it in. They stood there for a moment, awestruck by the sheer amount of it that had been collected, before a small figure ran out from between two piles and charged at them.

Callum quickly caught whoever it was by the arm, lifting them up and forcing them to drop whatever they had been holding. As the object fell to the ground, Jack quickly registered it as a child’s foam hockey stick. The creature quickly started screaming, pounding on Cal’s wrist and arm in an attempt to free itself.

Summoned by the screams, more of the creatures ran into the room, stopping dead when they took in the scene. The one who seemed to be their leader stepped forward, placing down his makeshift weapon (children’s safety scissors) and holding his hands up to show he didn’t want to hurt them.

“Wait!” he called out in a high, melodious voice, sounding genuinely panicked. “Don’t hurt him, we can explain!”

“We’re not going to hurt anyone, don’t worry,” Jack said, trying to defuse the tension. “We just got some reports of some stuff happening that wasn’t good for Christmas, okay? We just want to check it out.”

“What? Not good for Christmas?” the leader asked, and Jack nodded slowly. The look of dismay and confusion on what Jack was now sure was an elf’s face led him to believe that there was more going on here than he had previously thought.

“Yes, anti-Christmas phenomena. Now, I’m going to put this guy down, and then we can all talk about this in a civilized manner, okay?” Cal said, and the others nodded. They all laid down their weapons, and Cal set down the one who had tried to attack him. The little elf ran straight into the crowd, disappearing in a matter of moments. If Jack hadn’t known better, he’d have thought it was magic.

Cal watched him go, making sure no one tried anything, then relaxed a fraction. “Now, is there somewhere we can go to discuss this?”

***

It turned out that the people living in the warehouse were, in fact, elves, and that all the things they had collected had been stolen from the houses of townspeople. All the elves here had gotten lost and been unable to find their way back to the North Pole, so they had come together and been trying to make their new home feel as familiar as possible.

“We just wanted to go home!” their leader, Ollie, cried, then collapsed into tears. That led to a very awkward few minutes in which Jack had to comfort a rogue elf, but eventually, everything was straightened out. It was settled that as long as the elves returned everything, they could be allowed to return to the North Pole, and this news motivated them so much that they had cleaned out the warehouse in less than an hour.

“Thank you,” Ollie said, hugging Jack and Cal in turn as he boarded the transport with the rest of his group. Jack and Cal smiled as they watched him go, glad that he was finally getting the chance to go home. They waved until the door slid shut, then began trek back to the car.

“So, I’ll take you back and then head home to help out with them. Does that sound good to you?” Cal asked as they reached it.

“Yeah, sounds great,” Jack replied, then got inside.

There was a problem with that plan, though.It seemed that, in his haste, Cal had forgotten to take a fully charged vehicle, and had instead grabbed the one he had been using before, which was nearly out of battery. It didn’t have enough energy to go two blocks, much less get Jack home or Cal to the North Pole.

Cal tried to call for another transport to come pick them up, but with the busy season starting and the arrival of the lost elves, the soonest one could be spared was the next morning. What all this meant was that Jack and Callum wouldn’t be able to leave until tomorrow, so they would have to stay the night here. Together. Probably in the same room.

As they walked to the only motel in town, Jack was already internally panicking. He knew he liked Cal, had known for months now, but he was still nervous about sharing a room with him. He didn’t know if Cal even liked him back, and he was worried it would be awkward or weird somehow. Jack assured himself it would all be fine, but he couldn’t help that nagging feeling in his gut that told him something was about to go wrong.

***
It turned out that he was right to be worried. The only free room at the motel contained only one bed, which Jack was informed by the manager that he and Cal would have to share. Cal, of course, took it as if it were nothing more serious than waking up and realizing you were out of orange juice, while Jack was almost unable to function due to the riot of feelings racing around inside of him. They didn’t abate, not even as they got ready for bed, dancing around each other in the room and accidentally brushing past each other. Not even once both men were ready and Jack sat down, sliding under the covers as Cal followed suit.

All the lights were off but the lamp on the bedside table, and as they both got comfortable, Jack couldn’t help but catch glimpses of Cal bathed in that warm glow. He looked irresistible, even in just a t-shirt and sweatpants. When Cal’s gaze returned his, Jack felt like his whole body might catch on fire.

“Hey,” Cal said, a note of desire in his voice that was not lost on Jack. Was he…? No, that would be absurd.

“Hey,” Jack replied, trying to keep everything he was feeling out of his voice. They stayed there for a while, just looking at each other heatedly, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Cal leaned in a little closer, and Jack’s breath hitched when he felt Cal’s breath ghosting over his face. A few more centimeters and they’d be kissing. Jack half-closed his eyes, savoring the moment, before a bolt of fear ran through him.

What if he doesn’t want me like that? What if it’s only for tonight and nothing more? What if he hates it? What if… what if I’m not good enough?

Jack spiraled, his eyes snapping wide open as he leaned away from Cal. he didn’t want to do this, was terrified that if he tried he would mess everything up. He quickly rolled over, murmuring a hushed and somewhat scared “goodnight” before turning out the light and plunging the room into darkness.

Chapter Text

+1.

Jack O’Malley took a deep breath as he walked into the conference room, trying and failing to focus on anything in the room except for the face of Callum Drift. The man in question looked back at him, unreadable as a marble statue, then turned away, his attention on the meeting about to start at the table.

It was December 23rd, two days before Christmas, and only one day before Christmas Eve (arguably the more important holiday for the North Pole). This meant that every representative imaginable was now gathered into this room to make sure that both days went smoothly. Jack was included because he was the new senior liaison between the human world and the North Pole—the last one had decided to switch departments after an incident with some wrapping paper—and despite it being his first time preparing for a normal Christmas, he was excited, feeling like he was really coming into his own at M.O.R.A. He was excited, that is, about everything but seeing Callum.

Pre-Thanksgiving, Jack would have been thrilled to know that he was on the same continent as Callum, much less in the same room as him, but ever since what Jack had dubbed the “lost-elf incident” things had been awkward between them. Jack figured that it was his fault because he, after all, had been the one to shut Callum down. That didn’t mean he had to like it, though, and Jack found that for these past few weeks, he had missed Callum. A lot.

Seeing him like this, in a conference room, with no chance to talk or even look at each other, was not how Jack wanted to spend their first meeting since the incident. Unfortunately, it seemed he would have to, as the meeting very quickly got underway. The North Pole did not mess around when it came to Christmas time, and meetings on the 23rd had to be especially speedy.

They ended up finishing quickly, taking little more than an hour to discuss and finalize all the logistics. Right as they were done, Santa hurried out of the room to get to his next obligation, taking Callum with him. Jack opened his mouth to say something as they passed, but the moment came and went too quickly for him to get up the courage to speak. They quickly strode down the hallway, both zeroed in on their tasks. Cal, though, did glance back at Jack, a fleeting moment that would prove to be the extent of their contact that day.

The rest of Jack’s time was spent making sure all of the schematics and diagrams Santa would be using during tomorrow’s journey were accurate. It took a shockingly long time, about eight hours in all, and by the time he was finished, Jack was completely exhausted. Exhausted enough, it seemed, to run right into someone as soon as he exited the room he had been working in.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, trying to steady himself. The person he had run into reached out and grabbed his arms, making sure he didn’t fall. “Hey, sorry about that-”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Callum said, straightening up himself. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m fine,” Jack said, unsure of how to act in this situation. The last time they had seen each other had not ended well, but Jack had been thinking since then (I mean, how could he not, the sheer embarrassment alone) and he had realized that he didn’t want that to be the end of their story. He really did want to try with Cal, but he wasn’t sure if Callum wanted to try with him.

“Great, great. Gotta go!” Callum said, then hurried after Santa, who was walking briskly through the workshop. Jack watched as he left, a sinking feeling in his heart, before realizing that Cal hadn’t left him empty-handed. Literally.

Cal had left a note in Jack’s hand, which was something that Jack thought only happened in movies. He slipped the folded piece of paper into his pocket, quickly walking into the nearest empty room so he could read it in private.

Meet me at 10 o’clock in room 22 of the residential wing, it read, and suddenly Jack’s heart started to pound. What could it mean? This was basically the North Pole equivalent of a “we need to talk” text, and, for Jack at least, it had many of the same feelings attached to it.

Refolding the note and placing it back in his pocket, Jack felt a peculiar mix of excitement and dread well up inside him. He was glad at the opportunity to fix what he had messed up last time, but worried that wasn’t why Callum wanted to talk. Either way, he decided, something important is going to happen.

***

At 9:55 that evening Jack stood in front of room 22, debating whether or not to knock. He went back and forth for a while, just starting to raise hand to rap on the door, when it suddenly swung open, revealing Callum on the other side. He was still wearing his E.L.F. uniform as he quickly beckoned Jack inside, shutting the door behind him. There was an awkward moment where they simply stared at each other, frozen, before Callum spoke.

“Hi.”

“Um, hi,” Jack replied, and it was silent again. Jack felt like he might throw up.

Callum seemed just as nervous, for his part, because he quickly started pacing the floor back and forth in front of Jack. He twisted his hands in front of him as he walked, took a deep breath, then stopped in front of Jack, turning to face him.

“Look, I know this might be weird, and if you’re uncomfortable or want to leave, I totally get it, but I really wanted to talk to you about something.” When it became clear that Jack was going to stay and hear him out, Cal continued, “I really, really like you, Jack. I like the way you smile, I like the way you laugh, I like the way you think, I like how you’re always trying to be a better person. I like everything about you, and if you don’t feel the same way about me as I do about you, that’s completely okay, but I just had to tell you.”

He stopped speaking, chest heaving from the exertion of his outburst, looking plaintively at Jack.

“I–” Jack started, then paused, trying to find the words. Cal waited a few seconds, then added another piece of information that rocked Jack to his core.

“Jack, I think I love you.”

Oh.

Oh.

“I… I think I love you, too,” Jack replied, and Cal froze. It didn’t seem to be the reaction he had expected.

“Wait, you mean–?” he began, unable to finish his question.

“Yeah. I do,” Jack said, growing more confident each time the words left his lips. Yes, he thought, taking a step in Cal’s direction. This feels right.

“But–at the hotel, you said…” Cal whispered, still not able to complete a full sentence. Jack seemed to have broken his brain.

“I was scared, Cal. I was scared of how good this could be, and I was scared of how badly I might mess it up. I’m not used to loving someone the way I do you, to thinking about someone so often that their name is carved into the surface of my brain the way yours is. I was scared of how close I was to something so good, but I won’t make that mistake again.” Cal nodded, seemingly coming back to himself during Jack’s speech, then took a step forward and closed the distance between them. Once again, their faces were only a centimeter’s width apart, but this time, Jack wouldn’t pull away.

“Can I…?” Cal asked, leaning down before finishing his question as soon as Jack nodded.

Jack felt like he had been doused in flames, every part of him hyperaware and aching for Cal. His hands reached up to cup Cal’s neck, pulling them closer together and deepening the kiss. They stumbled back together, Cal’s legs hitting the end of the bed as they both came up for air.

“Wow,” Jack said, panting, “and they say I’m the one on the naughty list.” Cal just huffed a laugh, pressing his mouth back to Jack’s and pulling them both down onto the bed together.

***

The next morning, Jack woke up nestled in Cal’s arms. He had ended up staying the night, wearing one of Cal’s too-big t-shirts as pajamas and cuddling together until they both fell asleep. It had been an amazing night, better than Jack could ever have imagined, and he was almost sad to wake up, because the whole thing felt so much like a dream. He wasn’t too sad, though, not when he knew that there would be plenty more nights like that in his future.

Jack stretched, rolling over so he could see Cal’s face. According to his alert look, Cal had been up for much longer than Jack had.

“Hey,” Cal greeted, and Jack just made a sound in the back of his throat and burrowed closer.

“Yeah, yeah, alright. Look, I gotta go, but we’ll see each other in a couple hours at the launch, okay?” Jack whispered his assent, then let go of Cal so he could get up and get ready for the big day. He quickly left the room with a murmured goodbye and a tender kiss, and Jack spread out on the bed, feeling as if his life couldn’t get much better than this.

***

It was around five o’clock when everyone gathered for the launching of Santa’s sleigh. Jack had left Cal’s room about eight hours earlier, slinking back to his suite to get ready. He watched excitedly now as Red One himself and Cal both walked out, fully suited up and ready to go. Everyone took turns wishing them luck as they walked down the line of attendees, but Cal paused when he got to Jack. He went in for a hug, wrapping his arms around Jack, then patting him firmly on the back. “I’ll miss you,” he whispered as he did it, and Jack wanted nothing more in this moment than to kiss him.

Actually, he thought, then decided, fuck it. I love him.

“Can I give you a kiss for good luck?” Jack asked, and Cal’s eyebrows shot up, though he did look enthused at the prospect.

“Are you sure? We can take it as slow as you want,” he said, and that only made Jack want him more.

“I’m sure.”

They leaned in and, though it was barely a peck, Jack felt in his bones that it was one of the most important kisses he would have in his life. At least, that’s what every kiss with Cal felt like. The shocked faces of everyone around them were almost as great as the smile that broke out across Cal’s face as soon as they pulled apart.

“Good luck,” Jack said to him, before letting go and allowing him to move on to the next person in line. Once they had gotten through everyone and the sleigh had taken off, Zoe, who was standing beside him, turned to Jack.

“So, you and Callum?” she asked, both intrigued and a little jokingly at the same time.

“Yeah. Me and Callum,” Jack replied, liking the sound of it.

***

The day after Christmas—also known as Boxing Day— when all of the bustle had died down and another successful Christmas had been pulled off, Jack was awoken by the sound of knocking at his door. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then padded out to the living room to see who it was. He swung open the door to find Cal, dressed in casual human clothes and with a hopeful look on his face.

“Hey,” Jack said, surprised but not upset by his unannounced guest.

“Hey. It’s my day off, so I figured I’d come over here and maybe we could, I don’t know, do something?” Cal asked, sounding a little unsure.

“Oh yeah,” Jack replied, maintaining eye contact as he pulled Callum inside and shut the door behind him, pressing both of their bodies against it. “We can definitely do something.” Cal laughed, smiling as Jack’s lips met his.