On the First Day of Christmas
For @raelee514 / Merry Christmas!!!
āItās crooked.ā
Robert sighs, deep and longsuffering.
āHow can it be crooked, Aaron? Itās a star. Stars can tip any which way they want.ā
He looks over his shoulder at where Aaron has been āsupervisingā Robertās tree decorating, which basically means heās been criticizing everything Robert does whilst doing nothing himself.
āAlls I know is it looks funny,ā he replies with a shrug.
āYeah dad. It looks funny,ā Seb chimes in from where heās been playing with his dinosaurs on the sofa next to Aaron. His voice trailing off into a fit of giggles when Aaron looks at him and winks.
Thick as thieves, those two are. And Robert might call the whole situation a nightmare if he didnāt bloody love the pair of them more than his own life.
āTell me something, then, gentlemen, how would one go about making this look unfunny?ā
He takes the star off the top of the tree at that, hands the bright silver, shimmering mess to anyone willing to take it. And the way Aaron and Seb look at each other with twin expressions of āyou do itā almost makes Robert smile.
Almost.
Aaron rolls his eyes at Seb, gives him a tickle for good measure before placing his feet on the floor and stretching his way up to a standing position.
He groans when he does it, shows a little bit of stomach where his jumper rides up as well. And Robert has to swallow thickly so as not to give Aaron the satisfaction of a visible reaction to his antics.
āWhat was I doing again?ā Aaron asks innocently, his expression a plaster cast if not for the twinkling in his eyes. But Robert resists the twin urges to walk away or get pulled in that he finds himself battling with more often than heād care to admit.
āYou were being the big man and showing me how to properly place a star atop a Christmas tree.ā
He shakes the star in front of Aaronās face, tries to school his own expression into something stern. But he can tell by the way Aaron is looking at him that heās only moderately successful at best.
āRight,ā he says. āAre you watching? Because I donāt wanna have to show you twice.ā
The tree is rather large, given the surplus amount of space they have in the Mill. But Aaron still chooses to move towards it directly in front of Robert like thereās hardly room to breathe around it, his body fitting right into the curve of Robertās in a way that makes his eyes roll exaggeratedly and his mouth slip open slightly.
Itās never just one thing with Aaron, is it? Love and if not hate then annoyance at every turn.
āSee, you gotta make sure you twist the frame properly,ā Aaron says, lower than normal but not so low that their four-year-old child would twig to what the bastard is doing.
An assumption proven when Seb pipes in, āYeah, dad, you gotta make sure you twist the frame properly.ā
āOh, is that right, son?ā he asks as he looks over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in Sebās direction. āAnd what exactly do you know about hanging Christmas tree stars?ā
Seb sits up straight as an arrow, makes the face he uses when he doesnāt understand why he has to finish all of his broccoli, and says, dead serious, āMore than you.ā
Aaron actually sputters with laughter, forcing him to lean further back into Robertās body. And Robert is so appalled by Sebās behaviour that he can do nothing but bite his cheeks so as not to smile.
āYouāre a bad influence, you,ā Robert says with a light shove to Aaronās shoulders as Seb begins laughing hysterically like he just made the funniest joke in existence.
Aaron leans back again, rests the back of his head on Robertās shoulder and looks up at him with what can only be described as deep fondness in his eyes.
And then he ruins it all by saying, āAs if that attitude is all me.ā
He winks at Robert, turns his head so he can place a quick kiss to his jawline before returning to the task at hand. His voice authoritative as he continues, āIf you donāt twist the frame properly, dear husband, the star will be all wonky. And no one wants a wonky star.ā
Robert almost wants to step backward, refuse to play Aaronās game any longer. But because heās weak, he instead finds himself winding his arms around Aaronās waist. Where Aaronās concerned, he always has been weak. And he canāt imagine a date anywhere in the future where that could change.
Heās a menace, he is. But heās Robertās menace, through and through.
āSo once youāve twisted the frame,ā Robert hums because most games need at least two players and heās more than willing to participate, āWhat comes next?ā
He buries his face into the crook of Aaronās neck at that, doesnāt so much kiss him as press his lips lightly to his skin. But he can tell by the way Aaron shivers slightly that heās getting the point quite well.
āWell, you stick it on top and hope for the best, donāt you?ā
Robert circles his fingers around Aaronās wrist, helps him guide the star to the top of the tree. And with his other arm still wrapped around Aaronās waist, heās in the perfect position to feel the way Aaron sags into his touch.
Victory, Robert thinks. Thereās nothing else to call it.
āSebās going to need a nap soon,ā Robert murmurs into Aaronās ear, quiet enough for the words to be for him alone.
āWell isnāt thatā¦ convenient,ā Aaron replies, tipping his head back again so he can beam up at Robert and god, if he isnāt so in love sometimes he canāt even breathe properly.
āIt looks perfect, Daddy Aaron!ā Seb practically shrieks a few seconds later, wrenching them out of their moment. āDaddy Aaron was right, dad. Heās a professional!ā
Robert and Aaron laugh in tandem at Sebās declaration as they turn to face their son. And this, right here, is one of those moments that Robert is going to keep, few and far between as they are.
Lifeās been hard for them pretty much since they met, but sometimes, things turn out like this. A smile, a laugh, a warm hand in the small of his back leading him toward the sofa, toward their perfect little family.
And so what does he care if the star looks exactly the same as it did when he put it up? Heāll let the boys have their little win, knowing as he does that Aaron will more than make up for it later.
Just as soon as Seb has that nap.
