#makex

(For Vague Space)

***

Alex takes a deep breath, exhales. “And I want to disclose, right away, that Mr. Guerin and I used to be in a relationship between the ages of 17 and 18.”

The pause on the other end of the line is too long to be typical. “I’m sorry Alex, um, Officer Manes. Please repeat?”

Here is my @roswellsecretsanta gift for @alexxmichael I hope you enjoy! (I can follow you now without you figuring out I was your secret Santa 😊)

Deck the Halls

Michael and Alex don’t celebrate Christmas the way everyone wants so Isobel takes matters into her own hands. Set in a future where Alex and Michael are married. Mostly fluff with a tiny mention of sad Christmas memories.

“But you’re married now!” Isobel protests.

Alex shrugs and looks to Michael as if to say, ‘she’s your sister.’ Michael takes another helping of stuffing before answering his sister. “Yes, Isobel, we’re married. We were all there, remember? I just don’t know what that has to do with us celebrating Christmas.”

“You’re going to have a family soon...hopefully. You can’t treat it like any other day of the year. Do you even have a tree yet?” Isobel continues.

“No, we do not have a tree. We don’t want a tree. Christmas is just like any other day of the year, except that we don’t have to work.” Michael puts a forkful of stuffing in his mouth hoping to end the conversation before he says something he knows will upset Isobel.

Isobel shakes her head and throws her hands up in frustration. “I don’t get it. Who doesn’t love Christmas? All the pretty decorations, the lights, the smell of cinnamon mixed with pine. And let’s not forget the gifts.”

Michael and Alex exchange exasperated looks. Alex raises an eyebrow but Michael just shakes his head. “I got this, darlin’.

He sets his fork down and looks around the table at his family and friends. “Look, I know you all expected us to change our attitude about Christmas this year but it’s not that easy. It’s hard to celebrate a holiday you have no good memories of. Christmas in foster care was not memorable. If they celebrated at all we had to share gifts with the other foster kids, and we never got to take them with us if we got placed somewhere elae. Once I was out of foster care there wasn’t anyone I wanted to celebrate with.”

“Not even Alex?” Maria asks. “C’mon Alex, we used to exchange gifts all the time. What happened?”

Alex sighs. “Nothing happened, Maria. Yes, I exchanged gifts with you and Liz but I did that because it made you happy. Christmas in the Manes house was non existent once mom left. Dad thought it was a waste of time and money to decorate and get us gifts so he didn’t. Look, we don’t complain about how you celebrate so why are you complaining about us? We’re fine just the way we are.”

“But what happens when you have kids?” Isobel asks seriously.

“Iz, please, stop. We’ll figure it out if we have kids. Can we just finish Thanksgiving dinner without any more talk of Christmas?” Michael pleads.

“Fine. I won’t say another word about it.” Isobel pouts.

“Thank you.” Michael replies reaching for the cranberry sauce.

*************************

The Amazon packages start arriving at the cabin the Monday after Thanksgiving. Michael calls his sister on Friday but Maria picks up and tells him she’s not available, that she’s with Kyle.

“Good news?” He asks hopefully.

He can almost hear Maria shrug. “She hasn’t said. But you two will be the first to know if it is. Do you want to leave a message?”

Michael remembers why he called in the first place. “Yes. Tell her it’s not going to work. I’m either going to send them back or not open them at all. She can’t force us to celebrate Christmas.”

Maria laughs loudly. “Good luck with that. Getting Isobel to stop anything once she sets her mind to it is impossible. You of all people should know that.”

“Just relay the message, DeLuca.” Michael ends the call and moves the box from the porch to the pile inside door.

*********************

By Wednesday of the following week the pile has doubled in size and now reaches into the already small living room. Alex sighs and makes his way into the kitchen where Michael is making dinner. “Sweetheart, when are we going to take care of that pile?”

“If we want to return them we have to open each box and request a return label. I haven’t had the time. Apparently, the holiday season is when every car in Roswell decides to break down. I had to replace a radiator yesterday and two starters today. And that’s in addition to like three brake jobs and ten oil changes. I’ll get rid of everything this weekend, I promise.” He turns off the stove and pulls Alex close for a kiss.

“Okay, I just get worried they’re going to fall on Buffy. She’s too curious for her own good and keeps sniffing around the boxes.” Alex says when they break the kiss.

“No one is going to get hurt. We’ll have our nice neat living room back by Monday. And I’ll leave any new boxes outside from now on.” Michael pulls out the chair for Alex and goes back to the stove to put dinner on their plates.

**********************

The worst thing about living forty minutes outside of Roswell is getting up for work while it’s still dark out. Alex hates waking Micheal so he tries his best to get ready in the dark. He closes the door and navigates through the cabin using the flashlight on his phone.

Unfortunately, in his haste to get out the door on time he trips over the pile of boxes that seem to have tripled overnight and lands on his ass. “Fucking hell!”

Micheal is at his side helping him before Alex even has a chance to try to get up. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. I may have twisted my leg so we’ll see how it feels after working all day.” Alex tentatively puts weight on his prosthetic and winces.

“Maybe you should stay home today. I’ll take you to Kyle to have him make sure you didn’t do any damage.” Michael guides Alex to the couch to sit down.

The moment he lets go, Alex is on his feet again. “I can’t take time off. We need all my sick and vacation days for when Isobel gets pregnant.”

“One day isn’t going to matter. You’re hurt and I don’t want you to make it worse.” Michael protests when Alex reaches to pick up his messenger bag.

“I’m fine, Michael. Just please, can these boxes be gone by the time I get home?”

Michael presses a kiss to Alex’s lips and hugs him tight. “I promise. They will be gone.”

Alex smiles. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll bring dinner home tonight.”

Michael watches to make sure Alex gets to his car safely before turning to the pile of boxes. With a deep sigh he sits on the floor and opens the first one. He chuckles when he sees what’s inside. Buffy wanders over to him and sniffs the item in his hands. “How’d you know this was for you? Do you want to try it on?”

Michael pulls Buffy on his lap and struggles to put the ugly Christmas doggie sweater on her. When he finishes, Buffy gives him an unimpressed look, climbs off his lap and heads to the kitchen for the breakfast she knows Alex has left for her.

Michael chuckles again and opens another box. He peers inside to see three stockings, each one personalized with his, Alex’s and Buffy’s names. They are definitely not Isobel’s style, her understanding of their tastes is incredible. Each one has a different design, a penguin for Alex, a snowman for him, and a reindeer for Buffy (a reminder of the time she tried to chase a deer from the garden). He gets up and hangs them by the fireplace, after all it’s not like he can return something personalized, right?

Box after box gets opened and an hour before Alex is due home the living room is clear of clutter once again. Michael looks around the cabin and sighs, hoping Alex won’t kill him when he gets home. He decides to whip up something special for dessert since Alex said he was bringing home dinner. Running his hand through his hair he realizes he should probably shower and get dressed first. He surveys the cabin one last time to make sure there are no more obstacles for Alex before heading to the shower.

When Alex gets home from work it’s dark so he barely notices the sled propped up against the house, but he does notice the wreath on the door. It’s brown and rustic looking with a picture of an old blue pickup truck in the middle. Shaking his head, he opens the door and hears the soft strains of Christmas music coming from the kitchen.

“Michael? Why is there a wreath on the...”

Alex stops talking mid sentence to stare in disbelief at the cabin. He’s about to call out to Michael again when he sees movement in the kitchen. He sets his bag on the couch and goes into the kitchen. He is not prepared for the sight in front of him. Michael is dancing around holding a mixing bowl wearing the most ridiculous elf apron over boxers with the saying ‘save a horse ride a cowboy’ written across his ass. He turns as Alex enters and gives him a dazzling smile.

“Welcome home, darlin’! I was just making us some dessert.” Michael holds up the mixing bowl.

Alex raises one eyebrow and tilts his head. “Um, why does it look like Santa threw up all over our living room? And why are you wearing that ridiculous apron?”

“I’ll answer the second question first. It’s not exactly safe or sanitary to cook half naked and I didn’t think these amazing boxers should be covered up. As for the first question, um...well...surprise?” Michael shrugs his shoulders and tries to look contrite.

Alex blinks a few times before he lets out a strangled laugh. “What am I going to do with you? You do know when I said I wanted the boxes gone this wasn’t quite what I meant, right?”

Michael sets the bowl on the table, takes the bag of food from Alex and pulls him into a crushing hug. “I’m sorry. It all started with the doggie sweater and kinda snowballed from there. Every box I opened was just so us that I couldn’t return it. Isobel really took her time and picked things she knew we’d like. I know we both agreed we didn’t need to celebrate like everyone else but-“

“But once you got going it was hard to stop. I get it. And honestly, the cabin looks great. I forgot how beautiful Christmas decorations could look. You know we’re never going to hear the end of it from Iz and Maria.” Alex leans in and gives Michael a slow lazy kiss.

“You’re not mad?”

“Not at all, sweetheart.”

“Let’s eat and then you can taste my gingerbread masterpieces.” Michael gestures to the cooling cookies on the counter.

Alex smiles mischievously and hooks his fingers in the waistband of Michael’s boxers. “I was thinking we could save some horses.”

Michael lunges forward and grabs Alex’s face with both hands and brings him close for a deep dirty kiss. Slowly and carefully he backs Alex out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. He pushes him on the bed and grins. “So who gets to be the cowboy?”

****************************************

Michael decides not to tell Isobel about their change of heart right away for fear she’ll increase the number of boxes she sends. It becomes a nightly ritual to open the day’s boxes after dinner and decide where to place what’s inside. Isobel definitely doesn’t disappoint. In the week before Christmas she sends a twinkling star for the top of the tree, gourmet doggie treats for Buffy, two different cheese boxes from Harry and David, a do it yourself gingerbread house and matching boxers that say ‘don’t open until Christmas’.

Alex is sitting on the couch with Michael’s head in his lap on Christmas Eve morning enjoying the peppermint mocha coffee Isobel sent the day before when they both hear a package hit the front porch.

Michael jumps up. “I’ll get it. Just think after today there will be no more boxes.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Iz may decide to redecorate our cabin next.” Alex calls after him.

Michael sits down and places the box in Alex’s hands before snuggling next to him, planting soft kisses on his neck.

Alex moans softly and stretches his neck in encouragement while he opens the box. Inside is a wrapped package with a note instructing them to open it together. “‘Sweetheart, Iz wants us to open this one together.”

Michael reluctantly stops kissing Alex’s neck and watches as he unwraps the package. He hears Alex’s breathing become erratic and feels him start to tremble. He peers over his shoulder into the box. It takes him a moment to understand what he’s seeing and when he does he turns to look at Alex. His husband’s eyes are already filling with tears and he can’t seem to speak.

Michael steadies his trembling hand. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

Alex nods and pulls out a tiny pink Converse high top. It’s adorned with Swarovski crystals along the toe and up the back with sheer ribbon where the laces should be. He sets it on the table and reaches into the box three more times. Once all the shoes are lined up on the table he turns to Michael and sees the confusion on his face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“There are four shoes...oh, oh, oh! We’re having twins!?”

Alex throws his arms around Michael pulls him close. They both stay locked in each other’s embrace for a long time, letting the joy and excitement wash over them. Alex pulls away first and wipes his eyes. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. We’re going to be dads.”

“We’re having twins.” Michael says, the reality sinking in.

“Twin girls.” Alex adds.

“With alien DNA which means...” Michael starts.

“Probable alien powers.” Alex finishes his statement.

Michael flops back against the couch. “We are so screwed.”

The End

If anyone wants visuals of the gifts Isobel sent check out the Pinterest board I made for inspiration

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