Fool's Holiday (Jalex Oneshots)

6. Christmas Dinner Gone Wrong

Jack's entire family is coming over for Christmas and it's the first time Alex is spending the holidays with his boyfriend's parents.

This dinner he's making has to be 100% perfect or he'll never be allowed to cook for Jack's Lebanese chef of a mother again.

So for the past week and a half, Alex has been looking up the best holiday recipes.
But now is they day. Today, he has to have everything be perfect.

Alex kicks Jack out of the kitchen and gets to work, slaving away for hours and hours until the power goes out.
It's then that he notices the storm outside.

"Alex?" Comes Jack's worries voice from down the other room. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine but... fuck Jack what am I going to do about dinner now?"

Jack stumbles into the kitchen, still in his pajamas and frowns. He looks out the window at the storm outside. "I don't think my family's going to make it anyway, Love. Maybe another time."

Truth be told, Alex was more excited about Jack's family visiting than Jack was. He really wanted to impress them. They'd always been a little worried that the boys would never have home cooked meals and Alex really just wanted to prove them wrong.
Now he doesn't have the chance.

Jack notices this, of course, as Alex shuffles our of the kitchen, tossing his apron onto the dining room table and flopping down onto the living room couch.
Alex is a dramatic one, that's for sure.

Jack smiles sympathetically at Alex from the kitchen doorway and then looks back at the half cooked meal in the kitchen.

It's already getting dark and who knows when the lights will come back on. They'll probably be having cereal or dry ramen for dinner now.
Then again, there was that pie Alex made yesterday....

"Aw, Lexi..." Jack sits down on the edge of the couch since Alex is hogging the whole damn thing. "I know you really wanted to cook for them, but there's other holidays. And we'll probably reschedule the family get together for a safer travel day."
"I know but..." Alex sighs. "Today was supposed to be perfect."

The younger man smiles down at his lover. "Perfection's stupid," he announces. "Who wants pie?"
"That's for family!"
"Well it's pie, or dry ramen. Your choice."

Alex is silent before he finally sits up and heads back into the kitchen. Jack can hear him shuffling around, putting things away and slamming cabinet doors.
He walks into to find Alex pulling homemade pie out of the fridge.

"Do we want wine too?"
Alec rolls his eyes. "Sure, lets make a romantic date out of cold pie for dinner."

So it was done.

At the dining room table, candles are lit up and soft music is playing from Jack's Bluetooth speaker. Thank god its battery powered.
They talk in quiet voices, but laugh loud and often.
Jack can still feel Alex's sadness from across the table, even through his lover's laughter.

"My parents love you, ya know?" Jack says. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but they're just protective."
"I've known them since middle school, Jack. They didn't get protective until we started dating."
"I know. But it's because you had a history in high school. They were worried. Now it's just habit. They don't say it to your face, but they care. And you don't need to prove it with fancy home cooked meals."
"But-"
"No," Jack interrupts. "No buts. I mean it. When we finish eating we'll wish them a merry Christmas, okay?"

Alex nods, though he's still feeling a little down. He should have planned for something like this.
Maybe if they had checked the weather and planned for yesterday instead... we'll it's too late now.

But eventually the two finish eating and call Jack's parents, wishing them a merry Christmas.
Jack's mother apologizes for not being able to make it due to the storm, and Alex feels even worse. Jack's parents were probably excited to see their son, and now Alex has made it all about himself. Not that anyone else really knows that.

So when Jack hangs up the FaceTime call, Alex breaks down crying.

"I'm so selfish! All I really cared about was proving myself to people who's opinions shouldn't even matter!"
Jack bushes him, hugging Alex clothes as he rambles on and on about just how selfish he is. Alex is wrong of course, well, sort of.
He did make this Christmas about him after all, though he really hadn't meant to. And Jack tells him so.

Alex just got carried away trying to make everyone happy. Is that so wrong?

Jack doesn't seem to think so.

But it's late now. And it's no use staying up worrying about it. So they turn off all the appliances and head to bed for the night. Alex holding Jack close as he falls asleep.

I'm not proud of this one but in my defense, it's been a long week and I'm trying to keep up
Thank you for reading!