12 Days of a J2 Christmas: Day 12
Master Post and Notes
They’re home for more than an hour with Christmas dinner and dessert and after-drinks settling in their bodies. After some lazy bedroom kissing, slow changes into pajamas (Jensen’s solid colors but Jared’s a spectacularly holiday themed set his sister got him this year), and some more random hallway kissing, Jensen turns down most of the lights and plops into the family room couch. Jared turns up the tree and snags two glasses before he makes his way into the room with a carton of egg nog tucked under his arm.
Jensen doesn’t move from his mostly reclined position with Jared pressed into his side. They barely fit, but Jensen’s lower legs dangle off the edge and Jared does his best to take up as little room as possible (he fails) just to be close to Jensen (here he doesn’t). They’re sipping down the spiked milk concoction and reliving moments of their family dinner, lit only by the tiny lights of the Christmas tree.
They’ve had a few glasses, enough to warm up and loosen their muscles, and Jared’s head thumps into Jensen’s chest. Jensen chuckles and palms the back of Jared’s head. “You okay, buddy?”
His words are muffled into Jensen’s dark sweater. “We survived.”
Jensen’s fingers comb through Jared’s hair, pushing it away from his eyes, his forehead, his neck. “You think we wouldn’t?”
Jared turns to press his cheek into Jensen’s sweater and his words are more understandable, though a little slow under this haze. “I was seriously beginning to question dinner with my sister there.”
“Why? She’s great.”
“Mhmm.”
“I really like her.”
“She loves you.” Jared turns again so his chin presses into the place his cheek had been. He looks up to Jensen with a crooked smile. “Think she’s got a crush on ya.”
One of Jensen’s eyebrows goes high. “You surprised?”
He nearly frowns when he admits, “She’s a cranky little thing. I wonder sometimes if she even likes me.”
“Well, if those pajamas are any indication … ”
“Shut up,” Jared argues with a slap to Jensen’s chest. “They’re comfy.”
“They’re trees.”
“Shut up,” he repeats with another smack.
“They’re everywhere.” Jensen’s laughing, not even trying to hide it though he is shifting away from Jared and his barrage of slaps. “Not to mention hideous.” Then Jensen’s laughing as Jared starts roughhousing and pushing and pulling on legs and arms. Jensen’s laughter mixes with shouts of random pains when Jared tries to grab hold of the short bits of hair, but it’s still easy going and fun as they turn over each other.
Harley and Sadie bound in, barking and jumping near the couch. Jared eases himself off Jensen and his voice, while still full of laughter, calls to them. “Hey, alright, babies.” He moves off the couch and gives them soft pats that grow into firm, meaningful rubs. “Daddy’s fine. Poppa’s picking on him, but we’re okay.” Jensen laughs, pushing a hand at the back of Jared’s head in retaliation, but Jared doesn’t say anything. He just smiles and continues lavishing the dogs with attention and murmurs of doggie speak. Things like ‘who got new pig ears for Cwistmas, huh? My babygirl Sades did. Yesh. She certainly did.’ And ‘Harleycakes was good all year long and Santa got you the best chew toys in the da world.’
Jensen wants to mock him, pick on the words and the voice and laugh, but he can’t. Egg nog is swimming in his belly and Jared’s floating through his mind because they’re just hours from the end of Christmas Day and closing the book on their first Christmas together, in this house. As if to remind him how ridiculous it’s been between them, he eyes the tree and the random needles littering the carpet and he smiles, shakes his head and moves to the edge of the couch. His feet land on either side of Jared and his arms wind around Jared’s chest, loose and easy with hands clasped near is heart. Intentional or not, he’s aware of it once one of Jared’s hands comes up to hold them. Jensen kisses the top of Jared’s head, keeps his mouth on his hair as he remembers their snow day of cuddling and sweet, chocolate-laced kisses.
Jared’s other hand grabs onto the hands, and then he dips down so he can kiss Jensen’s wrist. Jensen leans over with his weight pressed into Jared’s back, and they’re chuckling lightly but not changing positions because the warmth of chest to back and the care between their hands is more than enough to remind them that their first Christmas is winding down, but the start of so many other holidays are waiting for them. “Hey! What’re you doing?” Jared harps and Jensen moves away. He watches Jared close a hand around Sadie’s muzzle and nudge her away from his mug of egg nog, and Jared’s reprimanding her while holding the mug high in the air to make sure Harley doesn’t get to it, too.
Jensen takes it and his own to the kitchen while Jared dolls out minor scoldings. He can hear it while he’s in the kitchen and rinsing the cups out, even on his way back, but Jared’s silent by the time Jensen returns. He’s laid out on his back, long legs stretched far while his shoulders and face disappear underneath the tree. Jensen laughs, creeping up and crouching to catch a glance. “What’re you doing, bozo?”
“Lookin’ at the tree.”
He lays out with his chest and cheek pressed into the carpet so he can see that yes, Jared is staring up into the tree. Even while laughing at Jared, Jensen is shuffling close, shimming across the rug on his back and settling so that he and Jared are touching from shoulders to elbows to hands, which quickly twine together. Jensen squeezes the fingers and gives a contented sigh.
“I know you hated the tree,” Jared starts softly.
“I didn’t hate it.”
“ … It turned out really great.”
Jensen squeezes Jared’s hand again. He looks over for a moment and catches the glaze of fascination mixing with the daze of all that egg nog. Jensen smiles and looks back up through the tree, through the branches and lights and glints of color from glass ornaments. His voice is gentle and sweet. “It really did.”
“It was a really good Christmas.”
His head turns fully this time to watch Jared, see his eyes comb over the bits of tree they can catch before looking at Jensen. “Yeah, it was,” Jensen says with an even gentler voice. “Come here.”
Jared gives a humored, “What?” but he’s still scooting closer and opening his mouth to Jensen’s, tongues thick and slow with the moment.
Jensen pulls back with a sweet smile and nods his head up. “It’s like the world’s largest mistletoe.”
He laughs, full and happy, and Jensen winks. Jared kisses Jensen again with his other hand coming up and cupping Jensen’s cheek then palming his neck. “Didn’t think we’d make it through Christmas.”
“Why not?”
Jared takes a few moments to admit, “You were kinda pissy sometimes.”
He chuckles, conceding to the holiday and to Jared. “I’m kinda pissy a lot.” Jared nods with a tense smile, but Jensen kisses away the worry, goes as far as to say, “You make it easier,” with as much meaning as he can manage. He feels this moment as being stronger than a simple I love you, because he tells Jared that all the time. This, not so much.
Jared’s smile goes so wide that he’s beaming as he kisses Jensen, all lips and a loud smack. “I can’t wait until next Christmas.”
“Me neither,” Jensen admits happily.
“I’m gonna make you really shitty ornaments.”
Jensen laughs out, “Oh, fuck you. There was a good one in there.”
Jared smirks and squeezes Jensen’s hand. “Okay, I’ll make you really shitty, pretty ornaments. With all the photos you hate but I love.”
He rolls his eyes, turns his face back up to the tree, but he’s smiling, just imagining how much fun Jared would have with that. And even more so at the thought of how many new pictures Jared can accumulate in the next year with the countless memories waiting to be built.
“We’ll see who makes the best ones.”
“Alright, alright,” Jensen chuckles. “We’ll make dumb photo ornaments.”
“It’ll be tradition.”
By now, Jensen’s cheeks are burning with the press of smiling but he can’t stop, and he’s not even sure he wants to. He leans over, mouth close and voice soft. “We’ll have lots of traditions.”
“Can’t wait,” Jared smiles back.
“Me neither.”
Notes and Such
OKAY. So, first off, thank you, thank you, thank you to karabou, queenklu, neros_violin, and timehasa_way for, like, everything over these last 12 days. Offering ideas, support when I was whiny, beta tasks, and whatever else it is you did that I've already forgotten. ALSO! OMG! BB! THANK YOU TO KARABOU! She hand drew and water color painted the lovely artz in this installment. SO AMAZING. I still love it, Kara, you have no idea.
And thank you all for reading and commenting and encouraging me to keep going with the schmoopfest. I feel a little strange having written so much fussy schmoop, but it is Christmas and 'tis the season and all that smoosh.
In the end, yay! It's done, 12 days, 12 stories, with only one hiccup. Merry Christmas Flist! You're amazing!