The Pack Fandom Secret Santa Blog

I Want You to Meet… A Secret Santa Gift for Sarah!

A breath of relief leaves me as the door clicks shut. I rush to my laptop and turn it on. I pull up my skype and log in, hoping he would be on. I wipe the tear streaks off of my face as the screen loads. He’s on. Perfect.

I immediately call him. One ring… two rings… three rings…

The call is accepted and a bright, cheery face pops up. His long-ish brunette hair is somewhat messy and his hazel eyes are filled to the brim with happiness. He is wearing his usual t-shirt, the custom-made shirt with a flame spewing across the black background. The sight of Preston puts a true smile to my face, but my smile slightly falters at the sight of an unfamiliar person sits next to my closest friend.

His face is of an oval shape; he has brown hair, a beard as well. He is wearing a matching t-shirt to Preston, and his brown eyes hold just as much happiness as my best friend.

“Heya Vikky! How’s it going! This is Rob! He’s my boyfriend, the one man who flew all the way in from Canada!” He nudges the boy next to him, who in turn nudges back and laughs nervously.

“Hi…!” He says as a crooked, yet charming, smile crosses his face.

“Hey, I’m sorry to seem rude, but I really need to speak with Preston alo-”

“Whoa, dude! What’s wrong with your face?!” Rob yells. Preston whispers something to him along the lines of that being rude until Rob points out the bruise that is no doubt starting to develop on my dark skin.

“VIK! WHAT HAPPENED?!?! DID SHE DO IT AGAIN!?!?” Preston hollers, causing Rob to get a confused look in his face.

“Yeah…” I say, “but she didn’t hit me in the nads this time, at least.” I finish, for some reason defending Pearl. Pearl, the girl who I call my girlfriend, yet get hit and called names by. All because I can’t bring myself to make a move on her.

Preston harrumphs, “You seriously need to break up with her.”

“I don’t want to be alone!” I cry, throwing my hands in the air above me.

Rob perks up, “Dude, no one deserves to be in a relationship like that. You deserve better, and you can get better.”

“It’s not that simple!” I murmur.

A long pause passes between us. The silence broke as Preston took a deep breath. “Are you doing anything this Christmas, Vik?”

“Uh, not really… Why?”

“You need a vacation from her. You are coming to Australia to hang out with Rob and me. I’ll get you the ticket, I’ll tell her, I’ll handle it. You just go pack.” Preston demands as a cheeky smile grows on his boyfriend’s face.

I sigh, slightly in relief. “Since I obviously don’t have a say in this…”

“Shoo. I’ll send you the ticket. Shoo.” He waves me off, causing me to prepare for my trip.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Having only four hours to pack was a close cut, but I made it to my seat on the plane five minutes before it takes off. A day after I arrive at my destination, Rob and Preston will join me and we will hang out.

I heave a sigh as I relax in my chair. I plug in my ear buds and enjoy my music until I am disturbed by a tapping on my shoulder. I pull one ear but out and turn around, and immediately, my breath is sucked right out of me.

Although he appears very tall, he is very, very attractive. His hair is a golden blonde, his eyes, an icy blue. A nervous smile displays across his face as he sheepishly laughs. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have the window seat next to yours there, and I really do apologize. I hate window seats; I hate heights in general. Do you mind…. switching seats with me?”

I gawk a moment; his accent… it’s foreign. Not British nor American…

I clear my throat, snapping myself back to reality. “No. No, no, I don’t mind. No, not at all!” I exclaim a little nervously myself.

“I’m Lachlan, by the way.”

“Vik.” I simply state as I scoot down and he takes my seat. “So where are you from?”

“Australia. ‘Coming back home from a vacation. I really enjoyed this break. The sights are extravagant. What’s bringing you to the wonderful land of the Aussies?” He smiles flirtatiously, and to my surprise, unlike with Pearl, I feel flustered, not uncomfortable.

“I’m getting away from… something… that I really don’t want to be around, but I have to deal with. I’m taking a break with my best friend and his boyfriend.” I smile back, hopefully sweetly and not embarrassingly.

“Ah, I see. Where are your friends? Perhaps we can all go out for coffee together.” He suggests.

“They’re in America, sorry. They won’t be heading up until tomorrow.” I tell him.

“A coffee for you and me then.” he states like it’s no big deal.

“O-okay..” I smile softly, and he returns a smile. A smile that reaches his eyes. A more lovely smile that I had ever seen. Filled with… perhaps… adoration?

We continue to talk all the way through the plane ride about random this and thats. Lachlan even offers for me to stay at his house until Preston reaches Australia. After me asking him a million times if he was sure and he insisting yes with laughter, I accept.

We reach the terminal at nine fifty-seven. He walks me to get our bags and then out to his car, which he mentioned has been in the parking garage of the airport for almost two and a half weeks now. We go out for coffee, and he, without my consent, buys both of us our coffees with a smirk. We return to his house, and we decide to watch some anime and movies for the evening until we crash from jet lag.

Sunlight filters in through the blinds into my eyes as my cell phone rings. I pick it up groggily, picking up fragments of yesterday’s happenings as I look around. I soon collect all of yesterday’s memories as I look onto Lachlan’s face, the face of the man who I am currently cuddling with.

I clear my throat. “Hello..?”

“Hey, Vik.” It’s Rob. “Preston and I are here, are you at the hotel?”

“Uh, no… I uh..” I look around frantically, trying to come up with something to say. “I’m… with a new friend at his house..?”

“WHAT?!” Preston’s voice could be heard in the background. “VIK, DID YOU FIND A CUTIE?!?

“Someone who actually deserves you?” Rob continues for him.

I stop to think a moment then lower my voice. “He is hot. Really hot. But I don’t think a guy like him would go for a guy like me…”

“OF COURSE HE WOULD! WHY WOULD HE INVITE YOU TO HIS HOUSE!!?!” Preston yells. Loud enough to wake up Lachlan, apparently.

“V…ik?” He says in his morning voice, causing my face to warm up.

“Sorry, Lachy.” I whisper, half covering the phone so the two can’t hear me, then slowly uncovering it, knowing it won’t help anyway. “It’s my friends. They’re here, and obviously don’t have indoor voices.”

“That’s cool. Where do they want to meet?”

“You… you want to come with me?”

“Why of course.” He states plainly. “Coffee to actually wake me up?” He joked.

“YES!!” I hear Preston yell over the phone. “ROBBIE AND I NEED COOOOFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

Lachlan laughs and gets up. “Get dressed, Icky Vikky. I’ll go to my room and do the same. Then we can pick those two jags up from the airport. They obviously need coffee.”

I blush at that then make my way to my suitcase. We get dressed quickly and I check the time as we head out the door. Eight sixteen. We once again get in the car and Lachlan starts to drive back to the airport, then the questions pop into my head.

“Why?” I whisper. I murmured it so quietly, I could barely hear it.

“Hhmm?” Lachlan hums in reply.

“Why?” I croak louder, pulling my left hand to my mouth while the other wraps around my body.

“Why what?”

“Why do you do this? Care for me, I mean… Am I really worth your time?”

The car goes eerily silent, then he pulls over to the curb and puts the car into park. He looks me dead in the face, a look of concern worry displaying on his face. “Vik, who ever told you that you would not be worth someone’s time?”

I stay silent, afraid that my vocal chords would betray me and crack.

“Because,” the blonde continued even without my speaking, “they are dead wrong. Do you hear me?! I swear, you are worth so much more than that.” He pauses as he brushes some of my black hair out of my eyes. “Now, I know that I don’t know your life story, but I know that whoever told you that you are worthless is not someone you need to be around. Okay? I care for you because… you’re a sweet little thing… and… I think I love you.”

I lean in fast and kiss him right then and there. His kisses are sweet like honey and filled with more love than Pearl had ever given me her whole lifetime. After pulling apart, I whip out my phone and dial the number I now loath for the last time.

“Yes babes?” Her voice is filled with lead. Sweet, but below the surface, deadly.

“We’re done. I deserve better than you.” I state simply in a stronger voice than I had ever spoken to her in.

“What?” Her voice releases the venom in her soul. “And where do you expect to find better?”

“Lachlan.” I breath out. His name like coconut on my tongue. Sweet. Exotic. Perfect.

“Vik, don’t do this to yourself. Do you think you’ll really find anyone who will actually love you like I do?” She says.

Lachlan takes the phone from me. “Actually, yes. I will love him much more than you ever could.”

“NO. I won’t let you take him from me.”

“I can’t take away what you never had.” He states simply as he hands the phone back to me.

“Goodbye, and good riddance, Pearl.” I spat out her name out and hang up.

Lachlan smiles, pleased, and continues to drive to the airport. We eventually make it there, and Preston practically tackles me to the ground.

“I got rid of her.” I state simply, and he squeals.

“REALLY?!?”

“Yep,” I say, feeling relieved, “but in better news…”

Preston perks up and Rob’s crooked smile widens.

“…I want you to meet…” I say, intertwining my hand with Lachlan’s, “my boyfriend, Lachlan.”

“I don’t know Preston, I wanted to work on our house today. Not go kill the blue guys.” I told the excited lava mob as I dug through one of my chest for building supplies. I know we had recently gotten some good gear, and now was one of the few times where less than three blue team members were on, but those two members were Rob and Vikk.

“Come on Lachy, please. It’ll just be a short 2v2 then you can go back to building. It’ll be a breeze.” Preston pleaded. I closed the chest I was looking through and looked him in the eyes. Preston was already geared out with an iron chest plate and leggings, enchanted by Pete, and had a sharp III stone sword. He was hopping from one foot to the other excitedly, and had that look in his eyes that I just couldn’t say no to.

“Fine,” I huffed “but at least give me a piece or iron gear, I don’t want to die.”

Preston gave an excited yelp and ran off towards Pete’s house. Before I could question what he was doing, he came back with a second set of enchanted armor. He quickly threw it at me before digging into one of his chest.

“Preston,” I questioned, “you did not just take this from Pete, did you?” I knew Pete was annoyed when we took his first set of armor, I didn’t know how he’d feel about us taking another set without asking him.

“It’s fine Lachlan, I asked Pete if we could use it. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to die with it on us… Oh, here it is! Lachlan you can use this sword, now come on!” And like that, I was shoved out of our house and pulled all the way to the blue side.

~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~         

“So, we literally have no plan? No ideas at all Preston?” I asked him. We were hiding along the base of a little cliff on the blue team’s island. I made sure we weren’t that far from the bridge incase more blues decided to join in on the fight.

“I have one idea.” The lava mob whispered as he peered over the cliff side, scanning the area.

“Well?” I hissed, checking our exit route once more. “Let’s hear it. I’d prefer not to run into this blind.”

Preston crouched down beside me and started drawing in the dirt. “So, the fight is me and you verses Rob and Vikk. Even though it’s an even numbered match, and we have better gear, this might not be easy. They have powerful bows and we can’t underestimate them.” He made a little house in the dirt and put an r and v next to it. He then drew a line and put an l and p by it. Finally he drew a bridge.

“Okay, so there’s no doubt Rob and Vikk got the chat message saying we’re on their side. Most likely, they’re waiting for us to charge there base like we usually do, but this time we aren’t. Instead, I’m going to see if I can taunt them enough to get out of their base. If I can get them to give chase, I’m going to lead them a little south of us where the cliff isn’t so steep and I can jump down it safely.” He made a small x south of us on the line that was supposed to represent the cliff where we were. “Over there, there’s a lot of tall grass you can hide in and I can hopefully escape Rob and Vikk in. You’ll be positioned about 5 meters north of the spot I’ll be jumping from. If Rob and Vikk jump after me, I want you to shoot one of them. Hopefully, that’ll distract them enough to let me escape and, if we’re lucky, separate them. If they get separated whoever you shot will be the one we target first and take out, then we move to the other. Simple enough, right?” He inquired.

“Y-yeah,” I stuttered, dumbfounded, “I’m amazed you thought this much into out attack. However, two problems. One, what if they don’t jump down after you. Two, I don’t have a bow.”

“I have a bow for you and if something doesn’t go to plan or seems off, get to the bridge immediately. There’s no way we’re dying with Pete’s gear, he’ll kill us. Now, let’s go kill some blues.”

~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~         

“Where is he?” I hummed to myself. I was at the spot Preston directed me to be and had gotten a chat message from him saying that he made it to the blue base about ten minutes ago. I doubt it’s a ten minute run from the base to here.

Hesitantly, I climbed to the top of the ridge and peered out into the plains to see if I could see Preston or anyone coming. No one. I sighed and slid down the ridge. Guess I just have to-

Wait, someone was there. Quietly, I pressed my back against the ridge and got my bow ready. There was only one set of footsteps, that I could hear, and they seem to be moving cautiously. It could have been a mob, but I wasn’t sure. ‘Should I head to the bridge just in case?’ I wondered.

Before I could move, the footsteps stopped and something landed on my back. “Gah!” I cried out as I collapsed to the ground.

“What are you doing over here little Lachy? This is the blue side.” A voice from above me asked. My heart fluttered at the sound of his voice, a voice I’d know anywhere. Vikk.

“It’s not like I wanted to come Vikky, Preston made me.” I whined, “Now can you get off me please? In promise I’ll leave immediately.”

“Oh, why leave so soon? It’s not often we get alone time on this server and I want to spend every minute I can with my boyfriend.” Vikk got off my back and sat next to me.

I sat up and pulled Vikk into my lap. “If you wanted alone time all you had to do was ask” I purred in his hear. I felt him tense up and smirked. Vikk was so cute when he was embarrassed. I didn’t even have to look at him to know his face was a deep crimson.

Vikk let out a sigh and leaned into me. “You know how hard that is. The only place we could meet is spawn and that’s pretty far away for both of us.” He turned in my lap so he was facing me. “And I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty hard to get away from my teammates.” He started running his hand through my hair and let out a sigh.

“Yeah.” I muttered and snuggled my face into the side of his neck. I let out a little hmm as Vikk’s fingers ran through my hair, it felt nice. I squeezed him tighter and started rubbing circles on his back. I wanted this moment to last forever, but that couldn’t happen in a server made for pvp.

“Lachlan let’s go home! They’re not at their base.” Preston’s voice called. It sounded like he was close.

“Dang.” I muttered to Vikk before letting him go. Quietly he grabbed up all his stuff and started to sneak away. Suddenly he turned back and placed a small kiss on the cheek. “Maybe next time.” He whispered.

“Lachlan!” Preston yelled.

“I’m coming you jag!” I hollered back before climbing up the ridge. When I got up there I saw Preston. His hair was all messed up it looked like he was out of breath.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“Me? Oh nothing, just …” Preston blushed slightly “Mobs, yeah, mobs… What about you? Your hair’s all messed up.”

“I, um, had a spider jump on my back and attack me.” I lied, feeling my face heat up. “Anyway, let’s go back. I want to work on our house.”

“C’mon, Preston, it will be fun, trust me!!” Rob tugged at the younger male, begging him to go ice skating with him on one of the lakes a few minutes from his snowy apartment in Canada. He thought it would be a good way for them to calm themselves after sleepless hours of pre-recorded videos to post while they were on their mini ‘vacation’ before the ski trip. Plus, Rob just wanted to spend more time with his best friend, who was basically his brother, or his ‘dad’, according to their fans. The last one was kind of odd, but it was hilarious to Preston, as he called everyone ‘dad’ or ‘daddy’.

On the other side of the couch, Preston just wanted to stay home and cuddle with Rob; ice skating, or sports at all, were not something he enjoyed. The Texan would rather stay home and have a ‘One Piece’ marathon in all honesty. He let out a deep sigh and responded with a, “no” once again, for what felt like the millionth time. Rob had been begging him since 7:00AM, when he was shaken awake by him screaming in his ear. Very pleasant. Now that they thought about it, they had been arguing about this, back and forth constantly, for almost an hour. The duo had always been very indecisive, though, and terrible at deciding what they should do in their alone time. They could barely decide on what kind of coffee to make in the espresso machine, let alone anything more complex than a simple drink.

“The weather is perfect for it outside–not too cold, not too hot–and there is a lake down the road that is most likely frozen. If not, the walk will be worth it, trust me. Please Preston, can we at least go check it out? And, besides, you chose what we did last night, so can we please go ice skating?” He let out one last sigh, and, surprisingly, agreed to go with the Canadian, who now had a grin that seemed to be plastered to his face.

“Ok, I’ll go with you to go do stupid exercise. But first, you need to get me a cappuccino. Pronto, right now, go!” Preston pointed his finger to the kitchen, and Rob ran off to the destination, not wanting to blow away his shot at Preston actually, willingly, going with him to do something that requires physical effort. That would remain as a first, and last, most likely, in Rob’s imaginary book.

He turned on the machine and made the cappuccino just how Preston liked it, black,otherwise known as plain, strong coffee. Luckily, it took the least amount of effort; no sugar, no sweetener, no cream, just the nice milky foam over the top. Preston adored that, as long as it was made perfectly.

Rob walked back over, carefully, to the latter, and placed the mug in front of him on the table. Although he felt proud that he actually made a successful cappuccino, the smile that grew on Preston’s face made him even more ecstatic. He quickly sipped down the drink, slamming the mug on the table when it was empty.

“That,” Preston declared, “was the most delicious cappuccino to ever exist! Thank you so much Rob!” He jumped up with glee and wrapped his arms around Rob’s neck, squeezing him tightly; neither of them wanted to let go, both just wanted to stay like that forever. It was so cold outside, but having each other in their embrace warmed them both a ton.

“Now, let’s get to ice skating, you nerd!” Preston and Rob threw on their coats, hats, and shoes, and grabbed two pairs of ice skates from the tens and hundreds in Rob’s garage. They trudged out and into the woods, the lake they were heading to right on the other side.

The forest, at that time in the morning, was super peaceful; the snow crackling under their feet, the birds chirping, the occasional snow falling off the branches, it was all perfect. The two walked hand-in-hand, taking in all of the silence around them as it neared the hectic and crazed holiday season; having a break from stressful and annoying endeavors felt like a weight taken off of their shoulders.

Finally, the trees began to clear into a field, where, across the sheet of snow and ice, was the long-awaited lake. Rob gasped in excitement.

“Oh my god there it is. I’ll race ya!” Rob went to go take off, but his shoe sunk deep into the snow, causing him to trip and fall on his face. Preston was not far behind though; he started laughing so hard that he did not pay attention to where he was going, and stepped right into the hole that caused Rob to fall in the first place.

“Oh my god, Rob, you’re so stupid!” Preston gasped out between breaths, still laughing so hard that his chest began to hurt.

“I wouldn’t be talking, considering you’re the one who tripped over the hole where I fell,” Rob stood up, brushing the snow off of him, missing all of the snow on his face.

“Oh my god, dad, you missed some!” Preston wiped all of the snow off of his own body, and proceeded to wipe the remaining snow off of the taller one as they walked over to the taller one.

“Wait, Rob, I know this is a stupid question, but do you meet up to Canadian stereotypes in the aspect that you’re good at ice skating?” It was a stupid question indeed, but he had been dying to know for the longest time now.

“Well,” Rob shot the other a devilish smirk, “wanna see?” He began to make his way through the snow, a determined look glued on his face, with his skates in hand. As he neared the lake, without falling–surprisingly enough–he sat down in the snow to put on his skates. Preston was still making his way over to watch, his phone in hand, ready to record when Rob fell, as a best friend would. Rob slipped on the blades as fast as humanly possible, grabbing Preston’s arm to help himself up.

“Now,” Rob wrinkled his eyebrows, “watch this skill closely, because it can never be reciprocated by anyone else. Only I, the pro skater, can ever perform this.” He stepped on the ice, almost losing his balance a few times, but eventually having a steady stance. Preston was filming, not wanting to miss a second of this.

“Here we go!” The Canadian slid his feet across the surface of the lake, left foot after right, and so forth. He was soon gliding across the ice like a plane in the air. His hands went up in the air out of excitement. He felt as though he was a kid again, Rob hadn’t skated since he played hockey, which was at least 10 years ago.

“Look, Preston, no hands!” Rob began to crack up laughing, and, before he knew it, he fell butt-first on the ice. The other male’s laughter echoed across the lake.

“I told you, Robert, and I got that on video. I have proof!” He ran in circles with his phone, stopping occasionally to jump with excitement. Finally, Rob was back on the snow, sliding his shoes off with a sigh of relief.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned, but it was hilarious though,” he grabbed Preston’s hand to stand up and caught his balance on a non-slippery surface. Surprisingly enough, he did so without falling.

“Now, c’mon, Robert, let’s head back to the house,” Preston giggled, “we can have an anime marathon, like I suggested in the first place. Oh, and I owe you a cappuccino for the one you made me this morning. Do we have a deal or what?”

Small Handful of Paradise

Word count: 1527 words

To any strange observer, the house Vik and Lachlan shared held some unusual features. One of those being: why did Vik have a normal, but Lachlan a king sized bed? The answer to that and to most of the other questions too (except for the excessive amount of professional electronic devices and the fact that there weren’t two clocks showing the same time in the entire home) was because when they bought the house, it was already mostly furnished and why would someone throw out a perfectly fine bed just to waste money on a new one? Exactly. So, Vik took the room with the average bed, gladly grabbing the opportunity to tease his best friend for his long legs, lanky figure and for moving around way too much in his sleep. And fairly enough, even with his bed being twice as large as the other’s, Lachlan still rather frequently found himself colliding with the floor when he was supposed to be sleeping soundly.

“Hey!”, Vik yelped, his voice abruptly jumping up a few octaves. He adjusted his arms, doing his best to hold his friend down. The two were lying on Lachlan’s bed, the owner of the room rested across the mattress with his legs dangling over the edge and, just moments before, his attention focused on his phone. The other was sprawled comfortably on the sheets, using the blond male’s stomach as a perfect place to rest his head - up until Lachlan tried moving from under him. “Come on! Let me get up!”, Lachlan complained back, unable to keep the chuckle from his voice. “Nuuu, you’re my pillow now. Pillows don’t move.”, came the response, muffled by Vik burying his face into the other’s shirt. He raised his hand, patting Lachlan’s chest disorientedly and mumbling further incoherent words about immobile cushions, making his friend giggle probably unintentionally. “Pillows don’t laugh either.”, he added, almost seeming offended as he turned his head to the side, blinking up at Lachlan. “Alright, mate, but I’m not a pillow.” “Yes, you are now. You are my pillow.”, Vik nuzzled his face back into his friend’s stomach, hugging him tighter around the waist and making him let a few more giggles loose. “God damn it, when I said we could cuddle I didn’t mean you not letting me do anything else.”, he was hoping that by exaggerating, he could win but all he accomplished was Vik completely ignoring his comment and trying to tease him by blowing hot air onto his skin through his shirt and making small “pffffhmpf” sounds instead. That eventually (as in, a few seconds later), caused Lachlan to start squirming with laughter. Not only was he ticklish and did Vik’s antics feel weird (but also familiar, as he had done it plenty of times before) but his childishness was amusing too. “Sto-o-op it!”, the blond giggled loudly, but to no avail. “Vik, this is no-ot a good i-i-idea, I’ll end up ki-icking you in the fa-ace…!” To that, the other boy raised his head, staring at Lachlan’s previously flailing legs before looking back up at him, asking a simple question. “How?” “Oh, come on, why do you always have to make your statements anatomically correct?“ “No, Lachlan, the question is why do you never do that?”, Vik snickered, still holding his “victim” tightly around the waist. “For f-…I just wanted to get a drink, that’s all!”, he burst out. “Oh”, his friend quieted suddenly. “you should have just said that.”, he stated, sitting up and leaving the other to freely escape. Though he looked indifferent, or even a bit remorseful, Lachlan wasn’t fooled - long years of friendship taught him to recognise that small glint of mischief and joy that could never be flawlessly hidden behind those deep mocha eyes. “So I can leave now?”, Lachlan smiled curiously. He only received a short nod in response, Vik blinking slowly and sitting back on his calves, looking almost akin to a cautious meerkat. The other chuckled, petting the mop of naturally dishevelled black hair atop the shorter boy’s head absent-mindedly after getting up. “Look, I know you’re gonna “attack” me as soon as I return anyway.”, he was perfectly aware of Vik’s ways and rules during these sessions that swung from cuddling to playfighting and back to cuddling peacefully again.

How is one supposed to celebrate the winter holidays?

Buy gifts for your family, they say. Spread the merry joy and cheer. Spend time with the ones you love.

Oh, how Lachlan wished that was possible. Yes, gifts could be mailed on cargo planes, loving messages and conversations shared through cell phones, but the comfort and homeliness that came only from having your beloved by your side? That wasn’t merely around the corner.

For Lachlan, in fact, it was exactly nine thousand, five hundred, and twenty-six miles away.

He and Vik has started dating close to three years ago, and none of those years had included visits for Christmas or New Year’s. Lachlan was usually invited to spend a week or two with his family, and Vik tried to see his own if the London weather wasn’t too rough. Each time December rolled around, however, Lachlan fantasized over what it would be like to spend it with his boyfriend for once.

—

Coming up with ideas for Christmas presents always proves to be much more difficult than it should be.

You’re supposed to know your family better than anyone else—their interests, their hobbies, their sweater sizes—but Vik found himself drawing a complete blank when it came to gift shopping. Would his brother like new headphones or a football calendar? Would his mother prefer a dark brown quilt or a pastel-blue tea kettle? All the little details seemed so petty and insignificant, but Vik loved his family and truly wanted them to appreciate whatever he bought. Still, he couldn’t seem to decide on a present for anyone—and he hadn’t even started thinking about something for his boyfriend yet.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure that he could even think of something remotely close to worthy for Lachlan.

Lachlan was the kind of boyfriend who is so loving, so kind-hearted, and so perfect that nothing money could buy would ever be enough to constitute what he truly deserved. Yeah, he could send him a box of British sweets, or a jumper he would look adorable in, or even one of those giant teddy bears—and Lachlan, in his usual cheerful demeanor, would say wholeheartedly that he absolutely loved it—but to Vik, it still wouldn’t be adequate.

A material gift was always an option, but Vik wanted to give something that would actually mean something. Perhaps there was another way…

— Five days before Christmas, Lachlan still hadn’t finished shopping, either.

His family was easy. His parents, brother, and sisters each had their own unique hobbies and interests that could easily be turned into a present—sports equipment, books, kitchen tools, and more were all purchased within the first two weeks of December and then wrapped and stored away for when they would be needed. Vik, on the other hand, made Lachlan’s buying experience nearly impossible.

It wasn’t that he was greedy or picky—just the opposite, in fact. Vik, being his sweet self, would appreciate just about anything Lachlan bought him, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to give him something that actually meant something, something that would last.

Frustrated with the issue at hand and exhausted from a two-hour recording session, Lachlan buried his head in his hands and let out a long sigh that no one was around to hear.

No one around to hear, he remarked bitterly to himself, because my boyfriend lives on the other side of the damn world.

He’d give all the money in the world to be with Vik at that moment. Heck, forget store-bought knick-knacks wrapped in festive paper and donned with shiny bows; all he wanted for Christmas was his little Vikky, curled up by his side on the couch, some stupid romantic holiday comedy playing in the background.

Cue Mariah Carey’s hit Christmas carol rudely intruding his thoughts.

I don’t want a lot for Christmas, this is all I’m asking for…I just want to see my baby, standing right outside my door…

Great. Even if he was unsure about everything else, at least Lachlan knew exactly which obnoxious song would be stuck on a loop in his head for the next eight months.

He found himself humming aloud one of the verses. I just want you here tonight, holding onto me so tight…what more can I do?

Wait. Maybe, just maybe, there was something he could try… — Vik wasn’t having much luck at the store.

He still couldn’t decide on anything for his family. Aisles had been walked down numerous times, countless shelves of all sorts of things browsed, but still nothing stood out to him as special enough. More brainstorming and patience would be required.

He did, however, hold an idea in the back of his mind for a certain blue-eyed Australian—but that was put on hold for the moment.

Sighing in defeat, he was about to exit the department store and return home for an evening recording session when something small and shiny caught his eye.

It was a miniature, desk-sized Christmas tree, made of gold tinsel that somehow didn’t look cheap but rather caught the light in a joyous way, and donned with crystal-blue snowflake ornaments that swayed on their threads as he walked past and stopped in his tracks.

It reminded him of someone—the way the golden tinsel glowed so cheerfully and the icy decorations sparkled like fresh snow. The idea seemed terribly cheesy and pathetic, considering it was just a piece of dollar-store decor, but Vik was heartsick, and the colors had a striking similarity to the boy he loved.

Why not? he thought, carefully picking it up and bringing it over to the register. Sure, it was stupid, but the time and distance between Lachlan and him was more so, and he left that shop with his plastic tree taking comfort in its familiarity.

When he arrived home, he placed it near his computer, just underneath the window where the reflected sunlight made the contrasting blue and gold sparkle. It was actually decent-looking for something so simple and inexpensive. Smiling slightly at the childishness of it all, Vik pulled out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to the reason he bought it in the first place.

Hey, Lachy. This little tree reminded me of you—silly, isn’t it? I think I miss you too much.

—

It was past midnight when Lachlan received the text, but he was still awake anyways, so it didn’t disturb him—instead, it caused the fondness and love he felt for Vik grow in his heart and brought a smile to his face.

The past few nights he had found it increasingly difficult to fall asleep, and it wasn’t because of holiday excitement. The distance between himself and his beloved felt more maximized than ever this time of year with all the talk of “family time” and “spending the holidays with your loved ones.” That was easy for some, but he and Vik each had obligations to their own relatives— traveling overseas for the holidays would mean one or both of them shamefully denying those invitations.

Fortunately, at that moment, cell phones existed, and Lachlan had one in his hand. Lying in bed, unable to rest, he decided to give Vik a call.

He answered straightaway. “Hey, Lachy.”

“Hello,” Lachlan greeted. From the other side, he thought, mentally cursing Adele for ruining all future phone conversations. Now, more than ever, though, his life felt like a similarly-staged music video.

“What’s up?” Vik asked casually. “Oh, nothing much,” Lachlan replied. “Just missing you, as usual.”

Vik sighed. “Me too.” He hesitated for a moment. “Hey, I was thinking…” He then faltered. “Actually, um, never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“What?” Lachlan asked, a smile growing on his face. “C'mon, Vikky, you can’t just leave me hanging like that.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.” “Viiiiik.”

“Sorry, Lachy. I almost just spoiled your Christmas present.”

At the mention of present, Lachlan fell silent. So Vik had something picked out for him already— something he was obviously excited about—whereas Lachlan had nothing, nothing except for that nagging little idea at the back of his mind.

“I’ve actually got to go record some videos,” Vik announced, interrupting his thoughts. “I’ll call you back later though, okay?”

“Okay,” Lachlan agreed. Right then and there, he decided to push away all doubts and fears and just go with his gut. — The idea came to him during the phone call.

Vik had been just about to tell Lachlan about his ridiculous plan—ask his parents if it was okay to miss their annual Christmas celebration, buy a plane ticket to Australia, and spend the holidays with Lachlan. It sounded great on its own, but that was when a second thought occurred to him—what if he made it a surprise?

He could picture it now—waiting in front of an unsuspecting Lachlan’s house, the look of shock on his face when he opens the door…it would all be perfect, like something out of a Christmas movie.

And here he was two days later, at the airport, luggage in hand. — As soon as his plane landed, Lachlan knew he was going to be terribly jet lagged.

The previous day, after calling his family, apologizing for the late notice, and then receiving encouragement from them for his plan, he had been excited out of his mind, euphoria at the thought of seeing Vik in person occupying every sense. But now, in hindsight, he realized that he had forgotten one important factor of flying into a timezone that’s six hours behind his own.

He wasn’t even sure what time of day—or night—it was when he stepped into the airport—all he knew was he needed coffee. Badly.

His eyes darted around the crowded terminal until they finally landed on a familiar green logo— Starbucks. Automatically drawn in by the thought of caffeine, he began stumbling towards the little shop.

—

Knowing he still had a half hour before he needed to board the plane, Vik decided to grab a coffee. The Starbucks line didn’t look too bad, and besides, he would regret it later if he didn’t consume something substantial.

As he was heading over, something—someone—crashed into him from behind. “Sorry!” He whirled around and found himself face-to-face with— “Lachlan?”

Blue eyes shot up and looked directly into his. “Wait, what?” “Lachlan, why…how…”

Both jaws were dropped and stares locked onto each other as the pair tried to fathom what was going on.

“I…I just flew here to see you,” Lachlan said slowly, as if he was a computer experiencing a spurt of lag. “But you’re already here…”

Suddenly Vik burst into a fit of giggles, coming to terms with their situation. “I was just going to fly to Australia to see you!”

He watched as the realization dawned on Lachlan’s face. “Wait…so it was going to be a surprise?” he asked.

“Yes!” Vik replied, still unable to contain his laughter. “And I’m guessing that’s what you were planning, too?”

Lachlan’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Uh, yeah.”

“Come here, you idiot.”

And then they were wrapped in each other’s arms, able to experience their shared warmth and comfort for the first time in months. Both felt happier than ever, enjoying the love and protection as if the world outside didn’t exist. They would’ve stayed that way forever had Lachlan not pulled back for a moment, only to close the distance once again with a kiss.

Sometimes Christmas miracles do happen, Vik decided. He was going to be spending the holidays with the one he loved most—and that was the greatest gift he could have ever received.