~ Does anyone remember Misophonia? I do, and I kinda liked that one, not liked liked because I've only ever really liked one of my oneshots and that was Sunlight, and I decided to write a part two.
another thing, that's so much more important: MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU LIL SHITS I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH
If you happen to celebrate Christmas on the 24th like me, happy Christmas yesterday or whatever.
This is the last Christmas Special I will be posting since I only wrote eleven and yeah, I'll now be taking a week or so off Wattpad and I'll see all of you next year :) If you feel like it, maybe comment on your favorite one letting me know that one was your favorite? Anyway, merry christmas and happy new year and I love all of you so much
This is dedicated to you Tillie, because you're a little shit and because I love you a lot, like a lot a lot, like I honestly don't know what i'd do without you. I've already said this but I adore you. I adore every single part of you and I just love you so so so much /M~
Calum smiles to himself as he walks down the street, watching the snow slowly fall to the ground around him. As much as he'd love to run the rest of the way, just to get there, he can't bring himself to do it. It's almost as if the silence, the snow, slows him down, makes it impossible for him to hurry. So even though his hands are cold, even though he wants nothing more than to get to the brown house at the end of the street, he takes his time. In a way it's strange, how the normally very trafficated street is completely empty, how he can walk in the middle of the road without risking getting run over by a car. How he can stop and just stand there, tilting his head back and watch the snow make it's way to the ground, without getting yelled at. He loves it, loves the snow, loves the winter, loves Christmas. And this year it's going to be even better. He's already celebrated with his family, since his parents had a meeting they had to go to in Zürich and they had to leave a few days before Christmas, and now he's been invited to spend Christmas day with Michael and Karen, since they aren't doing anything anyway. It doesn't really matter if they end up sitting around the table eating potatoes and talking about politics, as long as he's with Michael he's happy.
~
"Calum! Come in, you must be freezing!" Karen pulls him in for a hug and somehow manages to close the door at the same time, shutting the cold and the snow out. Calum laughs and hugs her back before shrugging his jacket off, taking a look around. From where he's standing he can see the christmas tree in the livingroom and he falls in love with it the moment he lays his eyes on it. It's not as big as the one he's got at home but it feels more traditional, more Christmassy. "Michael's up in his room, I think he might be asleep already." Calum nods, taking his shoes off.
"Alright, thanks again for letting me stay here Karen."
"oh you, you know we love having you here." Karen smiles, suddenly looking more serious. "you've really helped, with Michael. He's a lot happier now that you're around, he's not as depressed anymore and he's doing a lot better in school. He loves you, you know that right?"
"y-yeah." Calum did not expect that and Karen's little speech has left him with a lump in his throat and glossy eyes. "yeah, I love him too. I'd never...you know hurt him."
"I know." she smiles, stroking his cheek. "go on up now, it's late. Goodnight Calum."
"Goodnight Karen." Calum takes his bag from the floor and walks up the stairs, quietly opening the door to Michael's room, not wanting to wake the older boy if he's actually asleep. He isn't though, Michael's sitting on the bed, illuminated by the light from the streetlight outside the window, waiting for him. He smiles when he sees the tan boy, holding his arms out. Calum quickly drops his bag and walks over to him, sitting down next to him and feeling Michael's arms wrap around his body. It's almost as if they've made an agreement not to speak, not to break the silence just yet.
Eventually they get up, Michael getting under the covers and Calum standing up, taking his jeans and shirt off before joining his boyfriend, pressing his cold feet on Michael's shins. Michael doesn't complain, he's more than happy to let Calum use him to get warm, he just moves closer, nuzzling his face into the crook of Calum's neck.
"you smell like outside." he whispers, still not really wanting to break the silence but wanting to say it. "like outside and snow and Calum." Calum hums, running a hand through Michael's newly dyed hair. "I like that smell."
"And I like you, let's sleep now okay?" Michael nods and the room falls silent again, nothing being heard other than their breaths. Michael soon falls asleep, still with his face hidden in Calum's neck, but Calum stays awake. He watches the snow fall down outside the window, watches the flakes in the orange light from the streetlight, feeling calm and tired, only not tired enough to fall asleep. He knows that Michael probably will wake up soon, he usually has nightmares half an hour or so after he's fallen asleep, and if Calum's asleep when that happens he knows Michael will try not to wake him up, probably staying awake all night just to make sure he doesn't have that dream again. It used to happen a lot, Calum used to wake up just to find that Michael hadn't slept at all, but lately he's learned that if he stays up an hour later than Michael, he can comfort him and then they usually sleep until the morning.
He's right, after about forty minutes of watching the snow outside Michael starts tossing and turning next to him, mumbling things that are impossible to make out. Calum carefully sits up, rubbing Michael's arm as the smaller boy keeps turning.
"Mikey, come on baby wake up." Calum says, carefully shaking Michael. He doesn't want to shake him too hard, knowing what Michael's dreams are about and that it could just make thing worse. Michael finally opens his eyes, tears welling up in them as he looks around. "hey, come here." Calum holds his arms out and Michael immediately climbs into his lap. "it's okay, it's just a dream." Calum whispers, pulling the covers up over them while still holding Michael. "nothing's gonna harm you Mikey, not when I'm around. I'm never gonna let anything happen to you, it's just a dream." Michael nods, slowly relaxing again, and soon stops crying. Calum's used to this and expects Michael to stay awake for at least half an hour, but within five minutes he's sleeping again, still in Calum's lap.
~
"Boys! Wake up now!" Calum yawns and pulls Michael a little closer, nuzzling his face in the smaller boy's hair. He doesn't want to wake up, he wants to stay there forever, shielded from the world, safe up in Michael's room. But it doesn't take long before he realises that he won't be able to sleep, he has to get up and pee. Carefully, trying not to wake the still sleeping boy next to him, he lets go of Michael and gets up, shivering when the cold air hits his almost naked body. He picks up his shirt from yesterday and puts it on as he leaves the room, walking across the hall to the bathroom. Once in there he finally starts to wake, splashing his face with cold water after doing his business. As he's standing there, looking at his own reflection in the mirror, he realises that this is the first time he doesn't spend Christmas day with his family. He's eighteen, almost nineteen, and he's never been away from home on this day. He's not worried, doesn't wish he could be home instead.
"Calum?" he blinks a couple of times, looking away from the mirror, and walks back to Michael's room. Michael's sitting on the bed, just about to pull a sweater over his head. "I could hear you thinking from in here." he says, smiling as Calum reenters the room, picking his jeans up and putting them on.
"merry christmas to you too babe." Calum mutters, kissing Michael's cheek before taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "come on now, I'm starving." Michael laughs, for some reason finding the fact that Calum is hungry extremely amusing. Calum doesn't question this, he just pulls Michael along as he leaves the room, running down the stairs to the kitchen, where Karen's waiting for them. Calum cheers when he sees the food on the table, and he runs over to hug her before taking his seat, patting on the seat next to him. Michael smiles, sitting down next to him.
"alright boys, is there anything special you want to do today?" Karen asks, sitting down opposite to them. Calum shrugs, too busy eating to answer or think, and Michael pauses for a moment.
"do we have to do anything?" he asks, and his mother shakes her head. "like, we could just stay in and watch movies or something, just hang out." Calum nods, still with his mouth full of food, and grabs Michael's hand under the table, thinking Karen won't notice. She notices, of course she notices the way her son's eyes light up, the way his whole body relaxes. Of course she notices the small smile on Calum's lips, the love in his eyes even though he's just looking on his breakfast. She notices, but she doesn't say anything, letting them have their moment.
~
Christmas songs are being played on the stereo in the corner and a fire is burning in the open fireplace. Calum's sitting on the couch, a small smile on his lips as he watches the older boy who's sitting on the floor in front of him. Michael's got a guitar on his lap, gift wrapping surrounding him as he's strumming the instrument. He's beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, and Calum loves how his red hair makes his green eyes stand out more, loves how his eyelashes casts shadows on his cheeks, how his lips are slightly parted, his tongue poking out as he's trying to remember the way his fingers used to move over the strings. He's unaware of the brown eyes watching him, too caught up in the memories flooding his mind as he holds the guitar to notice anything, but he wouldn't mind even if he knew. He sits there for a while, fingers moving quicker and quicker over the neck of the guitar, before putting it away, standing up and walking over to the couch. Calum lays down and Michael does the same, his arms immediately finding their way around the taller boy's waist, and he close his eyes, smiling to himself as he listens to the beat of Calum's heart, the familiar christmas songs and the sounds of the fire.
The snow is still falling outside the window, the streets are still empty, but none of them notice this. Calum's too busy thinking about how amazing it is that Michael somehow manages to look punk rock even though he's wearing a christmas hat and a sweater with snowmen on it and Michael's too busy doing nothing at all to notice anything. They're both perfectly fine with things being the way they are, they wouldn't mind if the snow just kept falling, trapping them inside the house. This is how Christmases should be spent, Calum realises, with the ones you love. And he wouldn't change a thing.