(this takes place at least a year after any events to take place within this story)
Vinny groaned for what felt like the thousandth time in the last hour, his head falling to rest on the textbook on the coffee table in front of him. Sure, it was a holiday break and he didn't have any classes, but he was still studying. He had been wanting to learn some new photography techniques, but with work and school, he hadn't had the time to really study any of them. He should have just made his major photography instead of queer studies, that way he would actually have the time to work on his hobby. Or even made it his minor, but no. He didn't want to make it something he did for assignments, afraid that it would make his favorite thing in the world seem more like a chore.
He groaned again, pushing the book off the table and standing from the floor, dusting imaginary dirt from his thighs. It was Christmas, for goodness sake, he shouldn't be sitting and studying. He should be relaxing or having fun with his family. He paused in his walk to his bedroom, leaning his shoulder against the wall of his hallway. He couldn't say he didn't miss his mom. As much as she was controlling, she was still a really large part of his life and who he grew up to be. He enjoyed the freedom, but sometimes he missed her.
At that moment, he missed their Christmas tradition. Decorating the tree together, eating good food, drinking hot chocolate while watching videos that she had managed to take of him growing up. She worked a lot, but she always made sure to have Christmas off, and she would spend days prepping what they would eat.
He should have asked if Owen wanted to do anything, he mused, flopping down onto his bed. The blankets were twisted up and lumped uncomfortably under his belly from him not having made it up after getting up, but he didn't bother moving. Instead, he turned on his side and bunched the comforter up in his arms, snuggling into the comfortable fabric.
He was just getting comfotable, his mattress conforming to the shape of his body just so that he sunk right in, when his doorbell rang. A whine slipped from his lips and he hugged his blanket tighter against him before he huffed and forced himself to stand from his bed and walk to the door.
A confused frown settled on his face when he pulled the door open. "Owen?"
"Hey," Owen said, grinning. He was dressed in a sweater and black joggers, a large, heavy-looking bag hanging from his clasped hands. "Merry Christmas!"
"I - oh," Vinny mumbled, stepping back to let him step into the apartment. "Merry Christmas."
Owen chuckled as he walked in, kicking his shoes off before walking to the kitchen to settle the large bag on the counter. "You sure sound happy to see me," he joked, glancing at the red-haired boy over his shoulder as he pulled the zipper open.
Vinny's face flushed red and he pouted, arms coming up to fold over his chest. "Of course I'm happy to see you," he whined, letting the door close and walking into the kitchen behind his boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around one of Owen's arms, looking up at him with wide eys. "I was just surprised."
"I know." Owen chuckled, dipping his head down to leave a soft kiss on his forehead. "Did I wake you up?" He asked, running his fingers through the mass of red hair, smiling as Vinny's eyes fluttered closed.
"No. I just was laying down."
Humming, Owen dropped another kiss to Vinny's head before extracting his arm from his grasp. "Go sit on the couch and find something to watch, hmm? I'll be over after I get this–" he gestured toward the thermal bag– "sorted."
Vinny's head tilted, eyes wide and sparkling with curiosity, but he did as his boyfriend suggested, going into the living area and getting comfy on the sofa. It took everything in him to not turn to watch Owen do whatever he was doing, focusing all his attention on flipping through to find the perfect thing to watch. Finally settling on a classic–Charlie Brown–he turned just in time to see Owen coming over with two plates in hand.
The plates were set on the coffee table, and Vinny slid off the sofa to sit on the floor. Owen settled down beside him, their knees brushing. "It isn't much," Owen started.
"No, no," Vinny quickly cut in, eyes moving from the steak and beautifully roasted vegetables to Owen face. He grinned, eyes squinting and wrinkling with his happiness. "It's great! Thank you."
Owen smiled back, gaze soft as it drifted over Vinny's face. "You're very welcome," he murmured back. "Let's eat?"
Vinny hummed excitedly, nodding his head, grin still in place as he turned back to the plate in front of him. Hurriedly pressing play on the show, they ate the delicious meal Owen had prepared for them. The time passed quickly, and by the time they were finished eating, the show had ended and the sky was pitch black outside the living room window.
They quickly washed the dishes, silently enjoyed each other's presence and the peaceful atmosphere of the apartment. Once the last fork was put away, Vinny set about making hot chocolate for the both of them, warming the milk up on the stove the way his mother had taught him then whisking in both some squares of chocolate and a bit of cocoa powder. A bit of vanilla was added for fun, then he was dividing the liquid into two of his favorite mugs.
His own hot chocolate was topped with one large marshmallow then a mound of whipped cream, a peppermint stick poking from the side. Owen's was left plain, knowing his boyfriend didn't like things being too sweet.
"How is it?" Vinny asked, pulling himself up to sit on the counter. His eyes never left Owen, who was blowing on his drink before cautiously taking a sip.
"It's good," he responded, shuffling over to settle on the counter beside him. They were pressed closely together, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder.
Vinny hummed, leaning further into him as he stirred his drink with the peppermint stick, carefully as to not mess up the whipped cream on top. A sigh escaped him as he took a sip, allowing his body to fully relax, to melt against his boyfriend's.
They took their time with the drink, savoring the taste, the comfort. Each other. Vinny was getting drowsy with the relaxation, the only thing keeping his eyes open being the sugar rushing through him and the sheer beauty of the man beside him. He felt so warm, inside and out, and he hoped that they could always be this comfortable together, for however long they were together.
"Gifts or shower?"
Vinny settled his mug on the counter between his legs and looked over at his boyfriend as he thought it over for a moment. "Shower."
Owen nodded, sliding from the counter and grabbing the mugs to set in the sink. Then, he helped Vinny down, leading him down the hall to the bathroom. The water was turned on, and as it warmed up, Owen helped Vinny undress and vice versa. It wasn't long before they were finally able to climb into the shower.
They washed each other, using Vinny's shampoo and conditioner and the body wash that Owen had left the last time he slept over. Steam rose, both men flushed from the heat of the water. Still, Vinny clung to Owen's wet back as he rinsed off, enjoying the closeness and the rumble of Owen's chuckles against his chest.
The shower was finished quickly, and Owen dried Vinny off as they stumbled to the bedroom. All Vinny could do was giggle, lifting his arms up when Owen grabbed a shirt from the dresser and shoved it over Vinny's head. Giggles dying and turning into a pout, Vinny pushed Owen to sit on the bed, settling himself on his lap, towel in hand to dry his hair.
Climbing from his lap, Vinny grabbed a pair of boxers for each of them and a pair of pants for Owen. He preferred sleeping without pants, while Owen preferred sleeping without a shirt. Handing the articles of clothing over, he stepped into his own before grabbing the gifts he had wrapped up out of his closet.
He sat on his bed, pulling his blanket over his legs, the gifts in his lap, one small box in particular falling beneath his thigh, and looked up at Owen. "Gifts?" he asked.
"Hang on," Owen said, disappearing from the room for a moment, coming back with a gift bag in hand. Sitting on the bed in front of Vinny, he placed the bag in front of the red head. Grabbing it gently by the handles, Vinny handed over a flat, wrapped gift, shifting in his spot.
Vinny's heart rate sped up as the small box pressed into his leg, and he busied himself with digging through the tissue paper until his fingers came in contact with what felt like soft leather. Pulling the paper out properly, he couldn't contain his gasp when he saw what was in the bag. A beautiful brown leather camera bag. His name was embroidered in white on the front.
He looked up from the gift to see Owen grinning down at his lap, wrapping paper scattered around him. A dark blue apron with brown straps was held in his hands, and Vinny couldn't stop the smile from forming even if he wanted to. Looking back down at his own lap, he reached to grab the small box from under his leg.
It was a plain black box, a flattened black cardboard square. The bow he had placed on top was a little squished now, but it was still on. Clearing his throat, Vinny placed the box on Owen's knee and sat back down.
"Another one?" Owen asked.
Vinny nodded, refusing to look up. Instead, he watched his finger lace together in his lap. He could hear the sound of Owen lifting the top from the box, lifting the piece of cardstock Vinny had written a small note on, then a soft noise he couldn't place. He only looked up when he felt a soft pressure on the top of his head, blinking up at his boyfriend to see the bow no longer on the box.
"So I can come over whenever, huh?" Owen teased lightly.
Forcing his eyes to focus on the man in front of him, Vinny nodded. He could only keep his gaze there for a moment before they were looking down at the metal in Owen's hand. A small silver key.
"It's a great gift, Vin. Thank you," Owen murmured, sitting up on his knees to lean closer. His large, warm hands cupped both of Vinny's cheeks before their lips met in a soft kiss.
(word count: 1,839)