All Wrapped Up in You

As soon as he stepped through the doorway of their apartment, Scott immediately felt himself do a double take.

There was no way in hell this could be his apartment.

Gone were the glass menagerie of empty beer bottles that lined the countertop, the hoodies they typically kept slung over the back of the chairs in the kitchen. The comforting smell of cigarette smoke had been temporarily masked by a combination of pine needles and peppermint that lingered his nostrils, but the one thing that stood out more than anything else was all of the lights. Twinkling in nostalgic shades of red, green, and yellow, anything in the small space that could be adorned in Christmas lights was set aglow.

Dark eyes darted to the key in his palm in disbelief. He had obviously stepped into some sort of twisted parallel universe in which his typically humble apartment was currently being used as the North Pole. That was the only possible explanation.

But as soon as he heard Austin humming along to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Scott felt a smile form along his lips, the telltale warmth of blood rushing to his cheeks. Of course, Austin would be behind all of this.

“Merry Christmas!” Austin greeted as he peeked out from the living room. “Like what I’ve done with the place?”

A chuckle spilled past Scott’s lips. “It’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

It wasn’t until he ventured further into the living room that he realized just how Christmas-crazy his live-in boyfriend had gone. Scraps of wrapping paper littered the beige carpet, strips of pre-cut tape still clung to the edge of the coffee table, and the aftermath of an afternoon spent sprawled across the living room floor wrapping gifts was piled high like Technicolor mountains around the enormous fir. Admittedly, the tree was much too large for the room, but Austin was absolutely gleaming with pride over his selection.

“Aww, come on! Don’t be such a Scrooge.” It was hard to deny the boyish excitement etched across his features: that spark of wonder in his deep eyes, the way his grin stretched from ear to ear, bringing out his dimples. “If we had a bigger place, I could’ve really gone all out with it.”

Scott raked a hand through his gelled hair before he plopped down onto the sofa beside his boyfriend. “I’d hate to see what your version of ‘going all out’ would be.”

In an instant, Austin jerked the Santa Claus hat from his head, gripping the fuzzy fabric in his fist as he stared at his knees. “You think it’s dumb, don’t you?”

Scott gnaws at his lower lip in a desperate attempt to bite back his own grin. In all honesty, he’d never been one to get all swept up in holiday cheer. If anything, he could probably go so far as to say he dreaded the season. In his mind, Christmas was inextricably tied to the anxious feeling of being uncomfortable, to gold ribbons and Shirley Temple curls, crushed velvet dresses and itchy tights. His parents would always drag him along to an endless stream of holiday parties and show him off as if he was some sort of pristine porcelain doll. It was the one time of the year when he felt the least like himself, and as he grew older, the most like his life was a complete sham.

But now, things were different. Actually, this year, things were pretty damn amazing. Even though he’d been so scared at first to take things to the next level with Austin (after all, living together could either make or break a relationship), the two of them were stronger than they’d ever been. And while Scott wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be career-wise, he could whole-heartedly say he loved his job at the coffee shop. Sure, the hours were grueling and some people could be a total pain in the ass when it came to getting their caffeine fix, but overall, he enjoyed the experience of it all. For the first time in what felt like forever, Scott was really and truly happy.

So why not celebrate?

“Actually,” he began, meeting Austin’s gaze and spanning the distance between them. “It’s perfect.”

His eyes drifted from Austin’s smile to the strangely bare tree in the corner of the room. With all of the obnoxious Christmas décor surrounding them, the plain needles seemed completely out of place.

“One question though,” Scott began, his hand still ensconced by the familiar warmth of Austin’s grip. “What’s up with the tree?”

His expression grew blank for a moment before his features lit up again. “Oh! I saved the best for last.”

Scott couldn’t help but laugh to himself. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought it would be even more fun if we decorated the tree together, since it’s our first Christmas here in the apartment and everything.”

“Oh God.” He rolled his eyes in an effort to seem annoyed, but truthfully, his heart was thudding like crazy in his chest.

“Don’t be that way, it’ll be fun!”

His holiday cheer would’ve been annoying if he wasn’t so damn adorable.

Austin continued, “I’ve got some ornaments stashed away in the spare bedroom, would you mind grabbing them real quick?”

An exaggerated sigh pushed past his lips as he forced himself from the comfort of the couch, trudging back into the next room and retrieving a gigantic cardboard box stuffed to the brim with lights, ornaments, and tinsel. Once he reached the end of the hallway, Austin was waiting for him, a mischievous grin stamped across his lips as his gaze wandered to the ball of mistletoe strategically hung above their heads.

“You know what they say about mistletoe…”

Wrapped up in his boyfriend’s toned, tattooed arms, Scott couldn’t have cared less about silly holiday traditions. He didn’t need a dumb twig to persuade his lips into crashing against Austin’s; the act came naturally, instinctively.

Then again, maybe now was the perfect time for them to start making their own traditions.