#catchingadri

“Babe, you're missing out on the party.”

“Looks like it,” Jack agreed blandly before he went for the keyboard. Gabriel spread his leg out to block Jack from his goal.

Gabriel grinned, “you made me do this. I warned you.”

“Do wh-“

“I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need,” Gabriel started singing low and slow in his dark bass voice as he switched off the holoscreen. Jack’s face lit up bright red like Gabriel beard as the man continued, “I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree.

“I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.

Make my wish come true ooooo…”

Gabriel grinned as he slid himself into Jack’s lap, “All I want for Christmas is yoouuuuu.”

“Gabe, no, stop that,” Jack interrupted hurriedly as Gabriel tugged on his tie. Jack wanted to wipe that shit eating grin off his lips with his own just as much as with his knuckles.

“Okay fine, a different song then,” Gabriel breathed, and before Jack could stop him, he was singing yet again. “Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree for me.” The man spun, sitting across Jack’s lap and putting an arm around Jack’s neck.

“Been an awful good boy,” he accentuated his words with a boop to Jack’s nose

“Santa baby, so hurry down my chimney tonight,” he winked, purposefully messing up the lyrics.

“GABE!” Jack shoved at the man, who fell to the floor with a thunderous laughter.

“You should see your face cariño!”

Jack sat in his chair, red all over as Gabriel picked himself back up, leaving glitter on the floor. “Come on, it’s time to get out of here. You’ve been stuck in here all day. Join the party down stairs and then we can go out and grab a bite to eat. My treat?”

“You’re not going out dressed like that.”

“Am I?” He grinned, taking it as a challenge.

“Absolutely not, put a coat on. I don’t want to explain to Ana why your nipples froze off.”

…

After Gabriel washed the glitter out of his beard (with less success than he hoped) and got dressed, the two men ignored the holiday party flat out to walk out into the snow.

“What’s open late on Christmas eve?” Jack asked, eyeing Gabriel. The man shrugged and looped his arm with Jack’s, shoving his hand into his hoodie pocket. Jack blushed but pulled Gabriel’s arm close, anyway.

“I don’t know, but whatever we find is good enough for me. Besides I just like the excuse of stealing you away from everyone else,” Gabriel smiled as their boots crunched in the snow. Jack’s rosy cheeks heated up further as he turned his head, muttering something about Gabriel being ‘too sappy.’

Jack never had looked at the time, but he realized it was late enough that most shop lights were off and the streets had become empty. But that didn’t deter either of them; they were in a city and something was bound to be open, even on late Christmas Eve.

Eventually they stumbled across a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop, where they ended up seated at the window with two hot sandwiches and two cold beers. They ate in silence, but there was something about the quiet that was warming and friendly. They didn’t need to fill the empty space with much more than the sound of chewing, the ambience of the shop, and the distant Christmas music playing on the radio in the back. It wasn’t until they had left and stepped out into the cold that they talked again.

“I guess you don’t have any plans for tomorrow either, huh?” Jack asked, looking at the streetlights. Gabriel shook his head and pulled his beanie lower to cover his ears. Jack hummed and smiled. “I wouldn’t mind spending Christmas in bed, maybe cuddling for warmth.”

Gabriel looked to Jack with a sly grin. “I suppose we would have to go out for chinos at some point, though.”

“Excuse me?” Jack raised an eyebrow, confused before Gabriel barked out a laugh.

“Chinese food, dummy.” Gabriel patted Jack on the back to calm down the bristled commander.  “Come on, it will be fun. Maybe we can see if there’s any store open right now and grab some stuff. We can pretend we gift wrapped each other slippers and socks and put up some lights around the room. Mood lighting of course,” Gabriel chuckled, Jack joining in as he pulled out his phone.

“That doesn’t sound half bad. I’ll check and see.”

A few hours later Jack and Gabriel made their way back to their tiny military-subsidized apartment with several bags. They hooked up the lights along the window and even put a tiny fake fur tree on the dresser.

They never bothered to ask each other why they didn’t take leave to see their families, or even if they were bummed out to be away from family for the holidays. Instead, they made it their own and relished in the company rather than moping.