no good at being alone.

"i would like to see your work," rahul smiles then, a bright fondness laced within his expression. his gaze remains fixated upon the man who'd so easily captivated his interest. it wasn't often, that he found himself all too caught up in anybody or anything but his impending obligations and responsibilities. he'd been well trained, but caleb was someone to admire for sure. "and flirt whilst i do that, if that'd be acceptable and appropriate to you..."

"i would like that, too." caleb wanders through into the studio, getting out the album of his artwork. it's old school to have it all printed out and ready for anybody to see it, but caleb was raised by an old school tattoo artist. sure, he has their social accounts but it doesn't mean he's going to stop doing things the way he was taught. besides, it helps in a situation like this. he comes back in with the album and lays it out on the bed, opening it up to the first page. "well, if it's your wish to flirt, who am i to deny you that?"

confusion etches its way onto his features, laced with something more amused, lighting his blue eyes up, "you think the true meaning of christmas.... is in the grinch movie? like.... correct me if i'm wrong, but i think the way to learn about christmas spirit is from elf." his eyebrows raise up just a bit, "you don't want to take it? even with school?" he would understand if she didn't; he knew that not everyone had the heavy (to the point of being a fault) drive that he did, "i will! gonna put on elf so i can prove to you that its the source of christmas spirit."

lea finds a very easy opportunity to be annoying in the way ansel questions her and she can't help the way her eyes light up. it's practically a mirror of his own. "you don't?" she asks, eyebrow cocked. "i mean, the whole thing is about how awfully they treated him. and he did a bad thing but they realised that they true meaning of christmas is not in the gifts, but it's in having each other." lea shrugs, biting at the inside of her cheek. "i don't know. i do want to do it, you know? i think i could do it and i'd do it well. i just don't know how it's going to go with school. if it'll be too much and i don't want to let them down." she also, crucially, does not want to let herself down. people weren't always betting on her to win and this was one thing she was absolutely certain she could do well. she didn't want to give anybody a reason to know that she was a screw up like they thought. lea snorts, turning the stove on and getting a saucepan out, along with milk and some chocolate. "alright, you do that. i don't think you're going to convince me, but... might be cute to let you try."

asher is well aware that he's a grinch... even when it isn't the holidays, but the holidays had always brought back memories of his childhood that were always happy, but when he would take a closer look back on them... always made him want to scream. they were happy until his brother would whack his head and tell him to stop whining because he was too old to do that now. or until his father would tell him that the new equipment gifted to him would never help him make it if he didn't stop being so soft. even as an adult - the only significant relationship he had was only committed on his end, which meant they didn't spend the holidays around each other. a kiss pulls him from his darkening thoughts, mouth curling into a smile against tyler's, "of course, baby. i think you have a real eye for everything though... so there might be some bias in my opinion." an arm snakes around tyler's back, tugging him to join asher on the couch, "i do believe i was promise hot chocolate if i helped."

christmas was baby tyler's favourite holiday and that had only grown as he had gotten older. his parents had always done their best to make it everything for him and he had always remained a firm believer that christmas really was the most magical time of year. he doesn't need asher to tell him that christmas isn't the best time of year for him, he can see it in the little things. but that just makes tyler want to make this even better for him. there's that little hint of him loosening up through the kiss and tyler can't help but smile wider, cupping his hand over asher's cheek as he settles in beside him, leg half draped over his lap. "you might be a little biased, but i won't tell," he whispers, like it's a secret. tyler scrunches up his nose and leans in to kiss asher's cheek, nose bumping lightly against his cheek. "you're quite correct, i did promise you hot chocolate. let me make you the good stuff, yeah?"

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rahul was shocked by how well his disguise was holding up, though he figured not many people in the country would be well versed with the royalty of other countries. "just flirting?" he counters, trying his best to replicate the other's tone. "would both be so bad?"

he could hear the way he was copying caleb's tone and usually, that would grate on him. as it stands, he's not totally opposed to it. "yeah, just flirting." caleb leans against the wall, arms folding over his chest as a small smile plays on his lips. "i mean, no. did you wanna see any of my work or... was it just the flirting?" caleb has to fight himself not to close the gap between them, instead keeping a little space there so that he doesn't do anything stupid.

declan's met people that have two or three people's names on their skin - most people had one; declan had 14 and felt like they were still popping up. he got a new one last year when they had received a new player on trade - and still, none of them were what they were supposed to be. they were all friends. he still held hope - if only because he had a few names that he had yet to meet. what he hadn't hoped for was to meet one at the start of his day by noticing the name on a coffee cup, nor was he expecting the unfamiliar spark that came along with the question he had become to used to asking, "my names declan - you got it on you?"

over the years, flynn has met people who have more than one name. he's always been fascinated by them, the prospect of having that sort of connection with more than one person but still knowing that they had one person who was made for them. a special part of them. there are days where he wonders if the name on his arm was even in a position to meet him, if they were even still alive. he knew they were, they had to be. it would be too cruel a world for him to never be able to meet the person he was meant to be with, surely. the question, he's been asked it before in many different ways. there is always something uniquely disappointing about seeing the name on your arm and being told the name on theirs wasn't the same. flynn, though, he didn't ask often. he isn't asked all that often these days but when he is, he's certain it's going to be bad news for the other person. today, though, flynn can only focus on the static in his brain because that is a name he has. it's the only one. lips part and flynn stares at the man beside him for a long moment before he finds his voice. "yes." he doesn't hesitate to juggle his things around, leaving the coffee in front of him to pull up the sleeve of his shirt, neat writing decorating the inside of his forearm. "you better tell me you have flynn on you somewhere," he says, tone hinting at humour but anxiety seeping into it too much to be clear.

quiet as she finishes her story, ansel can't stop laughing through the whole story, "well, that doesn't seem possible that you could have single handly ruined her christmas," lea is still blabbing on and ansel's smile grows as he wipes a few leftover crumbs from her hair, "if it was up to me, you would have that power. they really need to put you in charge of more things.... you'd be the best." ignoring the rest of it feels easier, ansel always wanting to nag her about the negative attitude she seemed to carry, but he figured her day was probably long enough without it, "only if you're making it," a sly smile finds its way to his mouth, "i'm sooooooo sore."

lea nods, small smile playing on her features. "i know, like if the store not having that one specific perfume ruined her whole christmas, maybe she's going about christmas all wrong. maybe she needs to watch the grinch and learn the true meaning of it all." she hates that her cheeks flush and she can feel them heating up when ansel compliments her. "they have asked about it but with school, i don't have the time to do more than what i do. maybe one day." lea's eyes roll but the smile only grows and she rests her hands on the back of the couch and pushes herself up. "fine! if you're going to make me feel sorry for you," she says, wandering around the couch to the kitchen to start making their drinks. "you better put a good movie on for us to watch whilst i'm doing this, though."

"course not," he did actually think that tyler had gone a bit overboard on the decorations, the entire room practically covered in red and green with just on the wrong side of too many sparkles, but still - he'd never bring down anything that tyler put so much effort into, "looks fuckin' sick." he could acknowledge that he was a bit of a grinch; the holidays were never a warm part of his life like they were for so many people. he could acknowledge that his distaste was because of his own dislike towards the holiday and not the effort that tyler had so clearly put in, "one day, you'll have a house of your own that you can decorate. you can go on that one show on hulu. the great christmas light fight or whatever."

he has a feeling that it is a little too much but the fact that asher doesn't say that makes tyler's chest warm and a little full. the holidays made him so happy, his parents had always loved christmas and tyler had eagerly taken that on himself. there was nothing like decorating for christmas, it brought out a lighter side of him, one that he didn't often feel like he saw these days. "thanks, baby." tyler drops the extra set of fairy lights he was holding into the box labelled decorations and crossed the room to his boyfriend. he cups his cheek and leans to kiss him gently. "oh yeah? you think i've got a real eye for it, huh?" his cheeks are pink as he pulls away, scrunching up his nose.

marshall appreciated that alec had grown up in an entirely contrasting environment to what he had, and whilst he knows there's been points that he'd been immature, he's grown alongside his husband and now tries his utmost to read between the lines effectively, as opposed to always searching for the most cynical, deranged answer to everything. he smiles then, eagerly leading him towards the kitchen. "you'd still be your wonderful, beautiful, adorable self. just totally distraught and miserable, too." the words fall alongside a snort, but he means the words. knows alec loves him the same way that he loves alec. it's incredible, to be loved and known the way that he was by alec. it was equal parts terrifying and life-fulfilling. there's nothing he wouldn't do for the other man, but he knows the same can be said in reverse, too. he turns on the coffee maker and prepares it, leaning back against the countertop. "what's the first christmas movie we've got to watch? remembering it's gonna' kick start our christmas celebrations so choose wisely..."

the thing with marshall and his family was that they were always so accommodating and understanding. they had all played their parts in making him feel so comfortable and loved with them. alec and marshall have both grown together as a couple and individually and, he can honestly say, he doesn't think they would be together right now if they hadn't gone through so much in their relationship. alec snorts and leans into his husband's side. "i'd be the most miserable man in the world without you." it was hard to imagine a world without marshall in now that he was such an important part of his life, but he can say for certain that he would be awful to spend any time around. life would just cease to have meaning. once they're in the kitchen, alec hides a yawn behind his hand and leans against the counter, watching his husband with a soft gaze. "i think we should either watch home alone or the santa clause. or we could watch it's a wonderful life."