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“Mama, Iza won’t give me my stocking!”
Kezia’s shrill screech echoed through the hall, and Aventurine winced at the sound.
“Iza, put the stocking down. Neither of you are supposed to be touching any presents until Auntie gets here, remember?” He chastised the girl, making her relinquish the stocking with a reluctant pout.
The two girls sat on the floor, surrounded by piles upon piles of wrapped gifts, a scene that would be a dream for any pair of eight year olds. Aventurine sighed wistfully as the twins resumed their bickering. No matter how much time he’d had to get used to things being calm like this, it never quite sunk in. Growing up, holidays were always stressful affairs, with family disputes and vicious arguments staining any happy memories that could’ve possibly been made. His parents’ relentless fighting, his older sister locking herself in her room, and him caught in the middle of it all — that’s what the holidays had always been to Aventurine.
At least, that’s how it was long ago, in a distant past he could hardly remember now.
Since he met Veritas, though, that had all changed. It was with him that Aventurine had his first happy holiday celebration, just the two of them in a small apartment and a beaten down pine tree decorated with fairy lights. They’d exchanged gifts under the frail tree, Aventurine perpetually tensed up like he was awaiting a blow that never came.
The next year, after they’d bought the house together, was even easier.
For the past ten years, Aventurine had slowly been letting his guard down, slowly reacquainting himself with what a normal family was supposed to look like. Eight years ago, when he’d had the twins, his heart realized that the other shoe was never going to drop.
All of it was because of Veritas. Aventurine knew his luck was good, but he could never bring himself to say he was lucky to have met the man that was now his husband. It wasn't luck. It was by choice, every step of the way deliberate and intentional on both of their parts.
Veritas was tolerant, and intelligent, and everything Aventurine could ask for in a man.
A brisk knock on the door quickly yanked Aventurine out of his thoughts, and he rushed to the door, meeting Veritas there with a brisk nod.
Veritas swung the door open, giving the woman at the door a friendly smile.
“Alyra, it’s good to finally meet you.” Veritas extended a hand to greet her, which she stared at suspiciously before giving him a brief bow of the head instead. Veritas slowly lowered his hand.
“It’s okay, Allie, my husband doesn’t bite. Why don’t you come on in and we can talk for a bit before you meet the kids?” Aventurine grinned charmingly, and the woman returned a reluctant nod before trudging inside the house.
As soon as they stepped inside, Alyra crossed her arms, staring at Veritas pointedly.
“Well? Do I get some alone time with my brother, or are you going to continue this show of friendliness?” Alyra said, the edge of her voice blunt. Veritas opened his mouth, faltering for a moment before responding.
“Ah… Of course. Excuse me while I watch the children.” Veritas walked hurriedly into the other room, leaving Aventurine and Alyra to themselves. Aventurine lazily gestured to a plush sofa, which Alyra curtly sat on the farthest edge of.
“We haven’t seen each other in person in over a decade, and this is how you greet me? I’m really feeling the sisterly love, you know.” Aventurine teased. Alyra’s serious expression dropped just a fraction.
“Your house is lovely. I’m glad you… made it out as well.” She frowned, as if the memory clouding her mind was distasteful. Aventurine sat beside her, smiling easily.
“I’m only two years younger than you. Our parents were so pissed when I dropped everything and moved out at 18, just like you.” Aventurine’s smile didn’t drop even at the mention of their family.
“... I’m sorry, you know.” Alyra murmured.
“For what?” Aventurine responded. He knew what she was going to say, of course. No amount of time apart shakes that special sense that siblings tend to have.
“For leaving you with them. I could’ve—”
“You couldn’t. Don’t worry so much about it, alright? Lighten up. It’s Christmas, we both got out of that house, and my family is nothing like the one we grew up in.” Aventurine interrupted her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“... Your family.” Alyra said, more of a trailing afterthought than a full sentence. Aventurine nodded.
“The twins, Iza and Kezia. They’re eight years old now. And my husband, Veritas.” Aventurine had described his family to his sister over the phone countless times. He’d shared numerous anecdotes, described even the most mundane of moments. He bet that by this point, Alyra knew his daughters better than their own friends at school.
Something about just saying their names to her in person felt different, though. Like maybe, if he pulled her in close enough, she would get to experience the comfort of a real family for the first time.
“Your husband. Is he…” Alyra trailed off.
“He’s a good person.” Aventurine said simply, not elaborating further. He could tell her all about how Veritas had changed him for the better, about how intelligent and kind and caring of a man he was. He’d said as much to her every time the topic of him came up in their phone conversations.
“I want to properly meet him. And the kids.” Alyra stood up, walking towards the main room with Aventurine trailing closely behind her.
When they opened the door, Veritas stared sheepishly up at Aventurine, while Iza and Kezia sat in a small nest of wrapping paper, furiously playing chess with small golden and red pieces.
“Oh, so now we’re opening presents without Mama?” Aventurine teased, and the girls froze and stared up at him with wide eyes.
“Papa said we could just open this one!” Iza chirped, immediately turning back to the chess set and dramatically sliding a pawn forward.
“Yeah, Papa said we could! Tell Santa thank you for the chess set, it’s really nice. Ha! Checkmate!” Kezia crowed, moving a piece forward and then loudly upturning the entire set. Iza frowned, but offered her hand for Kezia to shake.
“Well played.”
Alyra stared at the girls incredulously while Veritas sidled up to Aventurine, smiling with faint embarrassment.
“Sorry, they were getting bored, I had to let them do something.” He admitted, not looking very sorry at all. Aventurine waved a hand, staring down while the twins cleaned up the scattered chess pieces.
“Do they really believe in Santa?” Alyra asked quietly, and Aventurine smiled.
“They do. It’s kind of magical.” Aventurine knew what Alyra was probably thinking. The two of them had never been allowed such childish fantasy growing up. In fact, they’d probably inadvertently ruined the magic for a few of their peers growing up. In their defense, to them it was common sense that there was no Santa Claus, or Easter Bunny, or tooth fairy.
“Are you guys ready to open some more gifts now that Auntie and Mama are here?” Veritas asked, and the twins jumped up in delight.
“Yeah, more gifts!”
“Yeah, we’ve been waiting forever.”
Forever was ten minutes, and perhaps it was how long Alyra gazed at the girls with surprising affection, despite the way the stoic woman had never cared for a child before.
Forever was how long he had with his husband, a genuine joy he’d never expected to come across in his life.
Forever was all the years for which Aventurine’s family had been complete, and all the years he spent waiting for it to become even more complete than before.
Forever was then and it was here and it was now, and he felt beyond lucky that forever now belonged to him.
Aventurine smiled, looking between his sister and his husband and his children, and decided that he wanted this moment to last forever.