Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Hi guys! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday, if you're actually reading this on your holiday, lol. To all who celebrate it, I wish you the merriest of Christmases. Get your hot coco out while your waiting to either open presents or for more people to show up, because I have the greatest present that I can give you guys! I hope you all enjoy reading this two chapter special. With Valentino and Casimir up first, enjoy their cute yet fun little Christmas!
-Saturn
"Valentino."
No. He didn't want to wake up.
"Pinky."
He didn't want to remember that nickname that morning either.
"Lou, why don't you just try throwing some water on him or something?" another voice wafted through the room. "That's how I always got him up."
"Or by tickling," Lou said. "He always loved when you woke him up like that."
"Well, I never had to wake him up on Christmas," the male voice complained. "He was always up bright and early. It was always the other way around on Christmas morning."
Valentino groaned and plunged deeper into the soft pillows. He didn't want to think about all of these good memories. Because the good always came with the bad, and that still stung. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive the man.
But he could enjoy a day with him at least. That was what Casimir had helped him realize. After all, it wouldn't be the holidays if it didn't have that one family member that you had to tolerate for the sake of someone else. They were a small family, but they somehow managed to get one anyway.
He remembered when he was younger, he would run down the stairs before the sun even came up. If his parents wouldn't wake up, or told him that he had to wait longer because it was too early, he would curl up by the big Christmas tree and just enjoy the lights and the excitement. Some Christmas Eves he would fall asleep under the tree, just so he could wake up surrounded by presents. When he was little, his parents thought it was adorable. But eventually he would find himself waking up in his room on Christmas morning rather than the floor.
When he was a teenager, he had some interesting holidays. Lou never left him alone on the holidays thankfully. But if he was on tour, that meant that Valentino would fly over to be with him. He had Christmas in a few different places. His friends thought it was so cool that he could get to see all of these things. But all it did was make him long to be home, laying under a large Christmas tree and a family that was only a room or two away.
"Come on, Salty," Lou woke him from his dreams, throwing something at him. "Wake up before I actually do throw water at you."
He groaned his answer again, throwing a pillow in the direction of the door. When he was a kid, he always wanted to wake up early as possible in the morning so he could open up all of his presents. Now that he was an adult, it wasn't exactly like he had a bunch of those. He didn't get as spoiled as he did when he was younger. But that wasn't the real reason why he didn't want to get up.
He didn't want to get up because he had to help prepare the dinner.
Why did he have to be half way decent at cooking? Why couldn't he be blessed with being the person who always burnt everything? At least then he wouldn't be volunteered to help with the dinner. They weren't even going to have that many people. It was just going to be Lou, him, their dad, and Casimir. The only part that he was looking forward to with that was Casimir.
"Don't fucking throw a pillow at me!" Lou laughed as he threw it back at him. "You're acting like a brat."
"And you're acting like a mom," he argued back.
"Oh, I'm acting like a mom?" Lou asked. "Alright, then. Let's get some more light into your room."
"No, Lou, don't!"
It was too late. There wasn't barely any light outside since it was winter, but that didn't stop his asshole brother. He turned on his bedroom lights, making his eyes burn as they desperately tried to adjust.
"Get up, lazy ass!" Lou laughed. "Don't make me use force!"
"I'm up, I'm up!" he laughed with him, covering his eyes. "No need to fucking blind me!"
"Oh, there's very much a need, Salty," he argued. "I should just call up your boyfriend right now and tell him to get you up!"
"He's got a boyfriend?" Noel asked from down the hall.
"He's joining us for dinner," Lou answered for him. Valentino was slowly getting up, dreading the conversation he was going to have to have with his father. He told Lou that he would be alright with spending Christmas with him, even though he still hated him for what he did. It was the least he could do for his brother. Lou always wanted to see their dad. Valentino understood, but didn't at the same time.
Personally, he wanted to punch him in the face.
"Well dang," Noel chuckled. "I shoulda gotten another present or something."
"It's okay," Valentino said as he walked out into the kitchen. "You don't have to."
"I'm more surprised you didn't react to the boyfriend part," Lou said, getting a thousand ingredients out.
"Nah," Noel waved the thought off. "I had a hunch that he could have wound up that way. I never cared about grandchildren anyway. I'm too old to be a grandfather for the first time."
Valentino rolled his eyes at the two of them. They talked so comfortably. He didn't get it. He would never understand how you could let something like what he had done go and be laughing and joking as if it didn't happen at all.
He really hoped Casimir came early. He needed some kind of ground if he had to deal with biting his tongue all day.
It wasn't too much prep work. They had gotten most of it done the night before. Once the ham was in the oven, they cleaned up and made sure that everything else was still looking good. The only thing that they hadn't made was the dessert. Lou and him might make some good food, but baking was its own kind of hellish skill to learn. He remembered when Lou tried to make a cake from scratch for him one time and almost burnt the kitchen down.
Man, that was hilarious. His whole face was singed beyond belief.
"Well, since we have some time," Noel said. The man was sitting down in the living room. "I wanted to give you guys something."
He didn't look that bad, Valentino would say that for the man. Lou and him got their looks from their father. That was why they looked so similar, even when they had different mothers. Noel had shorter hair than them, but he had the same eyes and just about the same build. They were all made to be skinny, no matter how much beer they drank or fatty food they ate. Although Valentino wasn't one to test that.
"Are we doing the gift exchange early?" Lou asked, settling down on a chair. He had probably been up since the crack of dawn making sure that everything was all going to be perfect for tonight.
"Well, I was thinking about it," Noel said. "But I'm not sure now that I was told last minute that someone else is coming."
"You were more of a last-minute thing than him," Valentino rolled his eyes again.
"Well, it would have been nice if you guys told me when some stores were open or something."
"Don't worry about it, Dad," Lou patted his shoulder. "You don't have to get gifts for everyone. That's not what today's about anyway."
"I'd rather wait," Valentino said. "If that's okay with you guys." It would just make it easier for them all to hand out presents at once rather than doing it together and then Casimir separately. He was excited to have him see his present, too. He had been looking forward to it the whole month. It had been a while since he had actually been this excited the entire month.
"I'm okay with waiting," Lou leaned back in his chair. "I could use a nap anyway."
"How long is he going to be, then?" Noel asked.
"It shouldn't be too long," Valentino told him. "He told me he had to stop by some places to give out some presents and he'd be here."
The bell rang right as he said that.
"That better not be him," Lou frowned. "I still want to get my nap in."
"Shut up, old fart," Valentino smacked him playfully as he went over to the front door. He heard Noel laugh a little bit as he got further and further away.
Casimir shouldn't have gotten there that early. He would be surprised if he was. He was always the type to talk his butt off to everyone he could, and Valentino was sure that he was talking to his friends and sharing stories or something, maybe even spoiling his appetite while he was at it.
He better not, with how early Valentino was forced to get up to get the food ready for tonight.
He was surprised when he opened the door to see Sunshine and Nikita instead. They both looked like they always did in the winter: with Sunshine dressed like she was in a blizzard and Nikita like he was vacationing in Hawaii. The only thing they ever argued about was whether or not it truly was cold in the Florida winter. And that playful bickering had gone on ever since they became friends in high school.
"Merry Christmas, Valentino!" Sunshine said, hugging him tightly before he could even open the door all the way.
"Merry Christmas," he smiled. This was a surprise and a half. He knew that Leo would be coming over at one point to say hi, but he wasn't expecting these two. "What are you guys doing over here?"
"Well," she looked at him excitedly. "You've done so much to help us, we just had to do something for you!"
"You really don't have to," he told her. "I just have no life and a lot of free time on my hands."
"I'm sure you don't now," she gave him a playful wink. "It's so cute that you're finally with someone! I was hoping you would find someone soon!"
"Do you guys want to come inside at least?" Valentino sighed. He hadn't exactly put on a jacket, and it seemed like Sunshine was in one of her chatty moods again.
"We would, but we really have a lot of places to visit today," Sunshine apologized. "But we thought we'd stop by and drop something off for you and Casimir as a thanks for the help!"
"Uh," he paused. "He's not exactly here right now."
"You'll know where to find him at least," Sunshine giggled, handing him a box with a bow on it. "They're homemade tamales. I was going to try and find a separate box for the two of you, but it was a little hard to find them in the stores this year."
"I'm sure we can make do," Valentino laughed. "Thanks." He always loved her food. There was just something about her family where they just all knew how to cook. Not one of them that he had met could make something that he didn't like. And they loved adding spice to everything.
That reminded him. If these were going to be spicy, then he might just have a fun night.
He tried inviting them in again to at least say hi to Lou, but it seemed like they were really in a rush. With a wave from Nikita and another hug from Sunshine, they said goodbye and ran back to their car to drive off. Well, when he said ran, he really meant Sunshine ran to the warmth of the car while Nikita walked casually, teasing her about being cold the whole time. The two of them were hilarious when they messed with each other like this.
Valentino took a deep breath of the cold crisp air from the morning. As much as he was nervous about his father being there, there was still a level of happiness in the air. And he hadn't really felt that in years.
Even with the change of plans, he had a feeling that this was going to be a great Christmas.
****************************Merry Christmas!**********************************
It was a fun morning, if Casimir could actually think the thoughts. If you had asked him if he thought he was going to have a good holiday this year, he would have told you that it would be near to impossible. Just a few short months ago, the only thing that would have made him have a good Christmas would be if he had his ex back in his arms. He would be praying for a Christmas miracle right now.
It was funny thinking back to those days, because love had fallen from the sky right onto his lap way before the holidays even came. It was a gift he didn't know he wanted or needed for that matter. It just kind of came up out of the blue when he least expected to find any kind of love.
And he wouldn't want it any other way.
Christmas was a great time for weddings normally. There were many couples who wanted their weddings around the holidays. Whether it just be because they loved the thought of having their anniversary around then or they wanted all the presents for themselves, all was bright and merry around the holiday season.
Most of the time Casimir would be busy on Christmas. Whether it be attending a Christmas wedding, or going out to visit all of his old friends to wish them a merry Christmas, the holidays were always jammed with so many things and so much movement. Now that he looked back on it, he couldn't believe that he did so much in just one day. He couldn't believe that he had even wanted to.
Valentino had really made him lazy. Even around the holidays. Casimir laughed at the thought. It felt good being able to rest rather than run around all over the place anyway. He just hoped that the man wasn't suffering too much being at home with his father around. He knew just how much he disliked playing the peaceful one for once.
He didn't have many gifts to give or places to visit this year, but he did have one person in mind. He didn't know how he was going to find him, but he could try at least.
"Norman, will you stop calling me that for one day?!" a voice boomed through the apartment complex. It sounded similar to the man he was looking for, but a little higher pitched. It came from the same apartment complex that he said he lived in, too. The building was old and rickety, but it seemed to come to life with smiling faces everywhere. Everyone was outside, enjoying their neighbor's company. It was really heartwarming to see.
"If I don't call you Turkey, I'm calling you Ham," there was that familiar laugh. It seemed to be lost in the crowd a bit, but he knew that the man was there at least.
"Why?" A neighbor asked. "He's not even fat at all."
"Eh, it's a joke from when we were kids," Norman said. Now that Casimir was closer, he could see the old man sitting at a table, surrounded by people laughing and talking.
"Norman's always trying to mess with someone," a woman said. "It's how he's always been."
Casimir smiled as he watched the group joke with each other. Norman always was the person to talk and joke. He barely knew him, but he was an easy person to understand. He looked so happy being surrounded by people. Casimir was surprised that he didn't have a beer in his hands, because he had always seen him with one. But his happiness seemed to spread easily to everyone who saw it.
Casimir snuck through the crowd and dropped his present off. It was so crowded that they didn't think anything about him walking by. He didn't want to bother him while he was enjoying himself. Casimir was just a random stranger that wound up at the bus stop in the middle of the night.
He set his present down on the second floor, close to where he was sitting and telling some crazy tale. Then he slipped away just as quickly as he came. It was hard to leave this lovely scene behind, but he had some other places to be. Well, one more place to be. But he still couldn't be late.
"Hey, Casimir!" that all too familiar voice stopped him right as he walked away from the complex. He turned back around to see the old man smiling down at him from the second floor. It seemed like the others were busy with something else, because the man was all by himself this time, rather than having everyone around him.
Before he could say hello to him, though, he was caught by surprise as the man threw something down to him. It was in a small red bag that almost floated down with how light it was. Even though it was light, though, Casimir was still surprised that he was able to catch it.
"Nice catch!" Norman laughed. "Maybe you can actually catch the bus next time!"
"What do you mean?" Casimir swore the man was getting crazier by the minute.
"Open it," Norman answered, still laughing. "And Merry Christmas!"
He opened the small bag to see a small toy bus surrounded by some candy. It wasn't the most expensive gift, nor was it anything he expected or had thought he wanted. But it was pun-worthy, and Casimir couldn't help but laugh at it with the old man.
"Merry Christmas!" he shouted back to him, waving goodbye. He'd love to talk some more, but Norman was already getting pulled back to the party. The one he assumed was his brother was keen on babying him. He heard him fussing over the man's knee all while he walked back to his car. It made him smile knowing that the man was getting taken care of.
He wasn't that late when he pulled up to Valentino's house. The place looked calm on the outside, but he had no clue what was going to happen on the inside. He had convinced him to actually spend the holiday with his father. He just hoped that it didn't end in disaster.
"Merry Christmas," he greeted right as Valentino opened the door. He wasn't sure who was going to open the door when he knocked, but he was glad to see the brunette didn't look annoyed. He was happy that he was the first one to see him, although he knew that he would be making Lou smile right now if he opened the door first.
"Merry Christmas," Valentino came outside to give him a quick hug. Only after the embrace did he realize that it had been a trap the whole time. "You aren't allowed to war this damn hat here." He yanked the hat off his head.
He laughed as they walked inside. He had put on the hat before he had left the car. The mistletoe hat was too funny to not bring with him to this little party. He would never regret buying it, nor would he regret the memory that came with it.
"I can't even show Lou?"
"Absolutely not," Valentino rolled his eyes as he pulled him towards the living room.
"Show me what?" Lou asked. Casimir smirked at his lover, trying to hold back a snicker.
"Nothing," he elbowed him, hiding the hat behind his back. Casimir didn't know when he was going to get it back, all he knew was that he wasn't leaving this house until he showed him it. He was looking forward to the kick that he was going to get out of it.
"Who was at the door now?" another man came in, interrupting Lou's investigation. Casimir knew that there was going to be a third person at this party. He knew that Valentino's father was going to be there, and would most likely be there before him that day.
He just didn't think it was going to be him.
"Now that we're all here," Lou sat up from his chair. "Dad, this is Casimir, Valentino's boyfriend. Casimir," he smiled while patting the old man's back. "This is our father."
"It's nice to see you again," Casimir put out a hand for him to shake. His heart pounded as he remembered everything he said to the man. He didn't think he would ever see him again, let alone here. The last and only time he had talked to him was at a bar with Norman. He had so many questions, and he wasn't sure he wanted the answers.
"You guys met before?" Valentino asked, looking shocked.
"Ye-!"
"Not that I remember," Noel cut him off, taking his hand and shaking it. "Not unless it was when I was walking down the streets a few times. Nice to meet you, I'm Noel."
He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling he didn't want to question any further. He shook the man's hand and took a seat on the couch, more curious about what he had missed that day than ever before.
"Well, we were going to hand out gifts already," Lou said, ruffling his brother's hair. "But Pinky here wanted to wait for someone to come first."
"You should probably check on that food first," Noel said, sitting back down in an armchair. This room was always cozy, especially when it was cold outside.
"Oh shit," Lou muttered, practically running in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll be right back! Don't start without me!"
Casimir gave Valentino a curious glance as he sat next to him on the couch. All he responded with was a shrug as he settled in the soft cushions, leaning into him. It was natural to wrap an arm around him to hold him closer. He could tell that he had missed him just from how much he leaned into him. They had decided to sleep apart the night before because Valentino needed to get up early to help with cooking. Casimir would have been okay with that, but Valentino insisted. If they were in the same bed, they might wind up staying up a little too late, anyway.
"Valentino!" Lou yelled from the kitchen. "I need you in here!"
Valentino groaned and quickly pried himself away from the comfortable couch. His body looked like it was complaining the whole time, and Casimir already missed having him in his arms.
"I can take care of it, Valentino," Noel told him. "Why don't you sit down and relax? You've been up and moving around all morning."
"It's okay," he declined the man's offer. "I got it. Besides," he sighed. "He's going to wind up yelling for me no matter what."
Casimir didn't exactly want him to leave. He wasn't looking forward to being left alone with the man that he had talked to about Valentino. If he had known that he was his father, Casimir would have thought twice before talking about anything. There was just something about Norman and the people he was around that made him open up about his relationship.
And now he was regretting that quite a lot.
"So," Noel started. "He's the one you were worried about?"
He was nice enough to wait a few seconds before talking at least. Casimir sighed, mentally preparing himself for the potential threats that he might get.
"Yes," he answered. "I thought you didn't recognize me, though."
"I lied," Noel shrugged, leaning back in his seat some more. "Trust me, with how much he hates me right now, it's better that he didn't know you and I had a beer together one night."
"Ah," he nodded. He supposed that made sense. This small family was a little confusing, but they all acted the same in some ways. They talked frankly and always spoke their minds. They were different, and stood out in a crowd. But that was more of a good thing than a bad thing. It was interesting to see just how alike they all were.
"Let me ask you something, Casimir," Noel leaned in from his chair, towards him. "Do you love him?"
"Yes," he told him, a warm smile quickly growing. "I really do."
"Alright," he nodded. "I should thank you for convincing him to actually let me spend Christmas with him. I honestly didn't think I could ever convince someone as bull-headed as he turned out to be. Just do me a favor, son."
"What?"
"Try not to break his heart," he gave him a sad smile. "I made that mistake by disappearing from his life completely. And, trust me when I say that he's not going to forgive you if you try and come back."
Casimir nodded, catching the man's pain. It was easy to tell that he still loved his family. He was a man who had made a thousand mistakes. Casimir had made plenty of them as well. He was just lucky that he hadn't done anything too bad with Valentino.
The last time he talked to Noel was when he was weak. He was worried about his past, and that ex of his that still liked to haunt his thoughts. As much as it still bothered him what had happened before, he could never see himself going back to her. Not now since he had Valentino.
"You have my word," he told him.
"Good," Noel smiled. "If Valentino's anything like his mother, you better be ready to be hooked for life."
"I think I'm ready," Casimir laughed. His main concern was if Valentino was ready to get more serious than they have been. But he would wait for that thought. They hadn't been together for that long and the last thing he wanted to do was push the man out of his life completely.
"Alright!" Lou came in and clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Who's ready to finally open some presents?"
They all sat down and started handing theirs out. It wasn't that much, but it made everyone smile and laugh. Whether it be sweaters or the latest gadget, they all loved each and every one of them. It shocked Casimir just how happy people could get from such a small gift. He had been around the wealthy for far too long. They always wanted the most expensive, newest thing that money could buy. But sometimes they forget just how nice it was to get something that didn't cost so much. Something that was made or bought out of the kindness of one's heart.
Those are the best gifts of them all.
Casimir didn't get a cheap present for Valentino. It was these boots that he knew that the man would want. It was the most difficult trying to figure out his size. He had such skinny legs that he wasn't entirely sure whether the long boots were going to fit him right, but it was worth a try, and he knew that he would love him.
"Open yours now," he handed him a heavy looking one. "Before I change my mind and bring it back."
Casimir laughed and took the gift from him. He opened it to see a Charcuterie Board. It was a gift set that came with a wine board as well. Personalized to say his last name, and made out of beautiful wood, it was not something that he was expecting at all that Christmas.
"How the hell do you even say that?" Noel asked.
"Don't ask me," Lou shrugged. "I traveled around the world and I still don't have a clue what the hell that is."
"It's a cutting and serving set," Casimir explained. "For cheese and cold meats. There's even little dips in the board that fits all the things you might need when you're hosting a party." Then he looked at Valentino in shock. "How did you know that I wanted one of these?"
"I didn't," Valentino shrugged, smiling at him. "I was first just looking for something wine related, because I knew you liked wine. Then the owner came and showed me this."
"Thank you," he hugged him. It was the most thoughtful present anyone had ever given him in a long time. The one he was with for so long, he still didn't want to even think of her name, was always too focused on herself and what she wanted as presents to really put any thought or effort into getting a present for him. He had stopped caring about them such a long time ago.
The rest of the day went by so fast. He never knew that it could with so few people there. There was still a lot of talking and story-telling. As soon as Valentino got uncomfortable with it, Casimir would pull him closer. Call it a Christmas miracle, but the passionate man was all out of steam that day. That, or he just didn't want to fight and was holding it all in. Casimir liked to think that he helped.
Even with the discomfort, there was still a lot of laughter and fun as they enjoyed the rest of the day, and their delicious dinner as well. The sun went down quickly that night, but it didn't stop everyone from having some light. Christmas lights were lit up as one big conclusion to such a grand holiday. The neighborhood twinkled under the stars with all their colors and blow-up characters. It was nice to witness.
"I always loved Christmas lights," Valentino said. They stood outside, enjoying the peace and quiet while Lou and Noel were on clean up duty. Valentino thought that it was because Lou wanted some time alone with Noel, but Casimir had a feeling it was because of something else.
"If I had known that, I would have bought an ugly sweater that lit up just for this party," Casimir teased, pulling him close again. It wasn't snowing, but the wind was freezing outside, and it only got worse at night.
"I really hope you forget that by next year," Valentino shook his head, leaning into him. "I used to fall asleep to Christmas lights when I was really little. They always made me happy, and lulled me to sleep."
He looked so happy looking at all of them. Casimir couldn't help but notice just how calm he had been today. All the tension just washed off from him as those lights that he was looking at twinkled in his eyes.
It was a beautiful sight.
"It is pretty peaceful to look at," Casimir said. "Maybe you should open your curtains up to see them before everyone takes them down."
"Maybe," Valentino answered, his voice sounding lost as he continued to look at the lights.
"Come on, Darling," Casimir moved away from him a bit. "We should get inside before it gets too cold."
"Wait," Valentino held his hand to stop him. They were slender, and absolutely freezing, but Casimir wouldn't let go of them if he had a gun up to his head. "There was something I wanted to tell you before we go in."
"Really?" he asked, curious. "And what was that?"
There was some silence as he watched the man awkwardly look at the ground. He was always a bit shy when it came to affection. Casimir knew that after their first week of being together. It was always him who started kissing him. And that was fine by him. He quite enjoyed surprising him by doing it at random times.
This time he was taken aback as something was quickly put on his head. Before he could even think of what it could be, Valentino wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. It was complete bliss having him in his hold, trapped by a single kiss that could make his heart swell in ways that it had never before. It stopped too early, much too early for him. He craved those lips that teased him so much, and that tongue that beckoned him for more. Every time they kissed, no matter how many times they did it or how long, it would always feel just as powerful as the first time.
"Merry Christmas," Valentino panted, his cheeks flushed from the cold wind. "Now you get your hat back." It was only then when Casimir realized that he had picked Valentino up in his arms. His own instincts were working against him. He laughed at the silliness of it all.
"Merry Christmas, Darling," he met his forehead with his own, holding him as close as possible. "Let's have a merry one."