Ethan stirred in his sleep, feeling a light touch press against his cheek. "Hm?" he shifted, mumbling incoherently.
He heard a soft chuckle, then the touch was back, this time ghosting on his forehead. "You gotta get up, Sleepyhead."
Grudgingly, Ethan opened his eyes, not at all regretting his decision when he saw bright blue ones staring back at him. Almost involuntarily, a massive grin broke out on his face. "If you're gonna keep waking me up, I don't think it's gonna work out between us."
Vincent hummed, smiling at the amusement in Ethan's tone as his hand tangled itself in the boy's dark locks. "Don't be such a Grinch. It's Christmas."
Ethan smirked. "Oh yeah? Then I'd like to stay in bed and spend some more time with my gift," he said, rubbing Vincent's exposed thigh.
Vincent rolled his eyes, but blushed nonetheless. "That was the cheesiest thing you've ever said."
Ethan laughed, sitting up to capture Vincent's lips shortly. "Still can't believe I get to do that whenever I want."
Vincent chuckled, winding his arms around Ethan's neck and puling him back in for another kiss. "We have to go downstairs and spend time with your family," he protested when the jock started kissing down his neck.
"We can stay here a while," he mumbled against Vincent's skin, arm snaking beneath his shirt to caress the warm skin. "Nobody will miss us."
"Wow, you think so highly of us," Drew's voice rang through the room, startling both of them. Ethan looked horrified, and Vincent feared he would panic and kick him out. To everyone's surprise, though, he regained his composure a second later, wrapping an arm around Vincent's waist and glaring at his brother.
"Fuck off, Drew," he snapped at his brother who smiled knowingly.
"I'll let that slide just because I know how much it sucks to get interrupted," he teased.
Ethan's face scrunched up in disgust, "Ew, Weirdo. Didn't need to know that."
Vincent laughed, lightly slapping Ethan's shoulder. Ethan gasped mockingly, grabbing Vincent's arm and pulling him closer to attack his face with kisses.
Drew cleared his throat, but that failed to catch the attention of the boys who seemed to be lost in each other. "Mom and Dad sent me up here to get you," Crickets. "Fine, but if I were you, I'd go downstairs before they come up here."
That managed to snap them out of it. Getting caught by a sibling was awkward, but getting caught by parents was just disgusting. Vincent threw on a pair of sweatpants—much to Ethan's dismay—and the pair descended down the stairs into the living room. There, their nostrils were assaulted by the mouth-watering scent of waffles that wafted from the kitchen.
They were met with muffled greetings from stuffed mouths, everybody looking up at them with kind smiles—except for Drew, who stayed smirking. Vincent pulled out a chair, about to sit down when Ethan grabbed his arm and stopped him. Vincent looked back at him with questioning eyes.
It came as a surprise for everyone—except Drew—when Ethan planted his lips straight on Vincent's right where everyone could see. When he pulled away from the short-lived peck, he linked his hand with Vincent's and stared back at his dead-silent family with feigned confidence. Vincent could feel Ethan's fingers shake, so he tightened his grip on them. "I just thought everyone should know."
Everything was eerily quiet, up until Steven Gray swallowed his mouthful, looked Ethan dead in the eye and said, "Well, it's about time."
Ethan's jaw went slack, spluttering unintelligible words he didn't even realize were coming out. Steven merely shrugged, sipping on his orange juice. "Ethan, honey," it was Stephanie who spoke this time. "You didn't really think we hadn't picked up on what was going on, did you?"
Ethan was so shocked, he didn't notice the little giggle Vincent let slip. "What do you mean?"
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "Baby, you're an open book. It would be a surprise if we didn't already know. Now, come eat, before your father scarfs it all down," she said, jokingly glaring at her husband who had a new stack of waffles on his plate.
Ethan still couldn't believe his entire family had known all along, but then Vincent smiled widely at him, and suddenly he didn't feel all detached.
"Welcome to the family, Vincent." He blushed.
***
Christmas morning was as typical as a Christmas morning could ever get. It was nice and cozy, and Vincent reveled in the comfort he'd been missing for far too long. Ethan got him an expensive set of sketchbooks and paint, and the Grays bought him two fuzzy Christmas sweaters. In return, he bought Ethan a bunch of cool shirts, a watch, and a bottle of cologne. For the household, he'd printed and framed a family photo of the Grays—which Ethan had given him earlier (he wasn't a stalker).
After, Vincent nervously walked up to Ethan and tugged at his shirt. Looking down at the shorter boy, his grin immediately fell when he saw Vincent's distressed expression. Before he could even ask him what was wrong, Vincent was speaking, "Could we go somewhere? There's someone I want you to meet."
Ethan's brows furrowed in confusion; nonetheless, he nodded, following the boy upstairs where they hastily got dressed. Ethan didn't ask any questions, but he had a hunch as to where Vincent might have been taking him. He drove, following Vincent's instructions, and when they pulled up to the cemetery, his suspicions were confirmed.
Vincent's breathing had gradually become shallower throughout the ride, to the point where he was basically panting. Ethan reached over to caress his locks, smiling encouragingly at him. "We don't have to go in if you don't want to."
The blue-eyed boy frantically shook his head. "No, no, I have to. I do this every Christmas. It's just...I've never brought anyone with me," he explained, voice sounding small and weak. "I'm just now realizing how stupid and lame this may seem to you. I'm sorry I dragged you here."
Ethan tsked, face contorting in disapproval. "Don't be silly, Vincent. I want to meet them."
Vincent nodded slowly, taking deep breaths as he exited the car. The grass was wet and muddy, but it wasn't unlike all the times he'd been there before. He inhaled the rich smell of dirt in the air and sighed quietly to himself. Ethan walked over to him, intertwining their hands and following him in through the gate.
It was still pretty early, so the usual Christmas visits still weren't in full display. There were a few people who ambled here and there, but Vincent was leading Ethan deep into grounds, where only few gravestones emerged from the soil.
Finally, he knelt, tracing his fingers along the cold stone. Ethan halted in his step, allowing Vincent to take all the time he needed. When he stood back up, Ethan stole a glance at the carved name:
Angelica Samuel
1977-2015
In Loving Memory Of Her Beautiful Soul
"Hey, Mom," Vincent began shakily, tears starting to pool in his eyes.
Ethan was stunned. Deep inside, he somehow knew it; Vincent never spoke of or to his mother, he always dodged questions about her, and Ethan hadn't once seen or heard about her despite being at Vincent's house multiple times. Still, the reality of it all felt like an ice bucket poured down his back. Ethan's mom was everything to him, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what his life would've been like without her. Though Vincent would've hated to know, Ethan couldn't help but pity the poor boy who all of a sudden seemed so broken. He wore a quivering smile, and Ethan knew he was on the verge of crying. Hell, even Ethan was.
"Merry Christmas. Sorry I haven't been here in a while, but I brought someone with this time. This is Ethan, my..."
"Boyfriend," Ethan filled in, rejoicing in Vincent's adorable blush. He felt as nervous as he always did when meeting somebody's parents, running a hand through his hair and rocking on his heels.
"Yeah, he's a douche-bag, but he's really cute, so I manage," Vincent joked, to which Ethan shot a fake-hurt look.
"I'll have you know, Ma'am, I'm very sweet. Your son's just a big meanie."
Vincent chuckled, shoving Ethan's shoulder. "Hey! You can't just shit-talk me in front of my mom!"
"Watch me," he challenged with a smirk. "One time, he—" Vincent's hand shot up to cover Ethan's mouth, his words coming out muffled against it. Laughing, Ethan grabbed it, dragging Vincent towards him and kissing him softly.
Vincent smiled, resting his forehead against Ethan's. "Thank you for doing this," he whispered, sounding like he was going to cry again.
Ethan shook his head, pressing his lips to the crown of Vincent's head. "No, thank you for bringing me here. I wanna know you—all of you. Thank you for letting me start."
"I've never brought anyone else here, you know," he mentioned, eyes gleaming.
"How did she..." Ethan started slowly, gauging Vincent's reactions to see if he looked uncomfortable and needed a change of topic. When his face paled horribly and tears started to slide down his face, Ethan panicked, scrambling for words to say. Vincent's next words, though, had him stilling in place.
"I killed her."