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The warm weight against Tavros’ back shifted slightly, stirring him from sleep as an arm threaded around his waist and a nose nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
“Tav…” Gamzee murmured, breath warm against the nape of his neck. Tavros shivered, toes curling as he nuzzled back against him and covered his hand with his own, running his thumb over the others skinny knuckles and nodding.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want a lot for Christmas.”
Tavros blinked slowly, vision going fuzzy as he stared at the bedside table. “Gamzee, what the…”
“There is just one… one thing I need.”
“Oh my God.”
His voice was still thick with sleep, but the grin was evident. “I don’t care about the m’fuckin presents, underneath-”
“They’re already wrapped, you ass.” Tavros groaned, grabbing a pillow and slapping it back over his shoulder, hoping for a lucky strike. By the muffled noise of protest it sounded like he hit his target.
“I just want youuuuu…” His voice warbled as he rolled, kicking a leg over Tavros and wobbling up to straddle him, face creased up with a smile. “FOR MY OOOOOWN!”
Tavros couldn’t help it. It was infectious. He grinned, reaching up to cup the others face (after a light smack on his hip to remind him he was meant to be pissed off) stroking a thumb over his cheekbone and beaming up at him, tipping his head back to join in with, “MOOORE THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW! MAKE MY WISH COME TRUE-” There was some wicked modulation rocking up in that motherfucker, and something that was trying to be harmony too.
“AAAAAAALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS. I-I-I-I-I-ISSS-” Gamzee was a lost cause, laughing too hard to keep singing as Tavros strained to hold a tune. He had a fantastic voice but not twenty seconds after being woken up.
“YOOOUUUU!”
They collapsed on top of each other, laughing as they wrapped their arms around each other and Gamzee buried his face against the others chest. What a way to start the day.
“Feliz navidad, Gamzee.” Tavros murmured into the cloud of the others hair, pressing a kiss amongst the curls. Gamzee wriggled against him gleefully, popping his head up and meeting his lips for a proper kiss, misshapen past a grin.
“Fuckin Felix Nab The Dab, Tav.” He beamed back, leaning in until their noses smushed together, faces close enough that it was impossible to make out features.
They giggled and pulled each other closer until Gamzee gasped, remembering presents were a thing that existed.
“FUCK, bro, got the motherfuckin gifts to be giving!” He pronounced gifts like ‘jifts’, because he was a menace.
“Oh, shit, can’t be forgetting about that, now, can we?” Tavros said past a helpless grin. Gamzee almost bounded off the bed, all but rolling to get his feet on the floor, skittering about to get out the room at top speed. He could be heard clattering about in the other room as Tavros rolled over to check his phone, already blowing up with messages of friends bragging or complaining, with some managing an impressive mix of both. His dad was already messaging them to check they remembered they were coming round today, and if Gamzee’s family were still up for it, because if not, it really wasn’t a problem, he didn’t want to put them out of their way-
His dad and Gamzee’s dad didn’t get along famously. Especially at occasions where they both had an excuse to get drunk.
Gamzee distracted him with a clatter as he kicked the door open again, beaming, carrying a soft squishable present that looked like it had been wrapped by a group of monkeys. He flung himself down on the bed, grinning ear to ear and lay it right on Tavros’ lap, settling himself cross-legged at the opposite end of the bed. He jiggled about so much getting comfy that Tavros’ end of the mattress started bouncing, setting the both of them off giggling again.
With a grin Tavros fished into the bedside table, pulling out an envelope and setting it on Gamzee’s lap. A flicker of confusion passed over the other’s face, before he settled back into his ‘it's all chill man’ state of mind, and relaxed back onto the bed, propping himself up on the heels of his hands.
Somewhere along the line he’d donned a Santa hat. The pom-pom dangled in his face, flurrying when he puffed at it.
“Open it, bro!” He said, grinning, bouncing a little with excitement.
Tavros sighed, flipping it over to get at the most tape-heavy section, and prying it open carefully. He always liked to try unwrapping it without ripping it, picking off the tape piece by piece, but it was a mission lost before it started on presents from Gamzee, already torn and patched up in five different places. He was pretty sure the type of paper changed half way round.
Deciding to throw caution to the wind (it was Christmas, after all) he tore it open, and something chunky and lopsided fell into his lap.
Gamzee had a hard time staying still as Tavros picked up the hat, hand knitted and lumpy. Brown yarn had been woven into ear flaps and horns, stuffed to stand up though they still drooped, and Tavros remembered a couple of times he’d walked in to see Gamzee stuffing needles and yarn down the side of the couch, looking guilty.
He grinned silently, pulling it on. It was a little big, flopping down over his eyes, and the ear flaps brushed his shoulders, but he couldn't help laughing as he shoved it up out of his eyes and blinked hard when the flash of Gamzee’s phone camera caught him off guard.
“Gamz, no, I bet I look terrible!”
“You look cute as fuck.” He said, grinning at his phone, already sending it to countless group chats. Tavros giggled, helpless, making the horns wiggle as his shoulders shook with laughter. Gamzee shot him a grin, setting his phone aside and looking down to the envelope on his knee. He slid a thumb under the fold, glancing up at Tavros, who had started worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he watched Gamzee open it.
The card front featured a glossy picture of the pair of them, grinning wildly into a camera, the sandy central ring of the big top when it had visited town in summer. Gamzee had clown paint on, and Tavros was holding a huge bucket of popcorn, both their faces lit up warmly with the stage lighting, pushed so close together their cheeks smushed up.
“Aww, bro…”
A ticket slid out with a soft ‘shh’ sound, landing on the sheets.
Gamzee paused, brows creasing for a moment as he reached for it and turned it right side up to read the carnival-style lettering.
CIRCUS SKILLS COURSE.
His mouth fell open, a big round O as he looked up at Tavros and back down to the ticket. Tavros grinned back, nodding when he looked confused. “Got you, uh, all booked in. They say you’re good enough for the, advanced session. Sent a video of you on the unicycle, they say you’re good enough for formal- HRCK.”
Gamzee’s arm socked Tavros directly in the throat as he flung himself at his boyfriend in a hug, wrapping ‘round him tight enough that he couldn’t breathe in all the way.
“Woah, aha, OK, you’re welcome…”
Tavros patted the other’s back, chuckling as Gamzee wound his arms round him tighter. His shoulders started jerking, and some sort of sound was muffled in his shoulder, and Tavros frowned as he angled his head down to try and interrupt.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I can change the dates, if it doesn’t work out…”
“Bro, fuck off.” He looked up, eyes big and glassy as he giggled, tears making his cheeks wet. “It’s fuckin fantastic. Makes mine look like SHIT.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He grinned, knuckling away the other’s tears. “It really doesn’t. Because I’m going to wear it, all the time. Especially at the table. Going to hang, like, three more hats off it. At least. Maybe more.”
Gamzee creased up into a grin, wrapping the other up tight and shuffling into his lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek and nuzzling against him, giggling like he couldn’t do nothing to stop it.
“Merry Christmas, man.” He said, soft and serene, nudging his forehead against the other’s.
“Uh, and a very mare tea grit mess to you too.”
Gamzee grabbed the nearest pillow, and at such close range his accuracy was deadly.