Levon's alarm sparked to life at nine and Levon woke, turning it off quickly so Todd wouldn't be woken up by the obnoxious beeping. Levon woke easier than usual, the childish excitement that Christmas morning brought helping him shake off the grogginess. He settled back down and grinned as Todd rolled closer, pressing his unconscious face into Levon's side. He was snoring softly, absolutely adorable with his lashes thick against his cheeks and lips parted as he slept.
"Time to get up, Toddy," Levon spoke gently, giving his boyfriend a small shake and Todd's brows drew together.
"Fuck off," Todd grunted, turning his face away and into the pillows. Levon laughed.
"Don't be like that," Levon ran his fingers through Todd's messy, dark hair. "It's Christmas."
"Can we just not for a few more hours?" Todd groaned.
"Mama said we could sleep in until nine and then we had to get up," Levon reminded the man easily. "Get up for the waffles."
Todd actually blinked his eyes open for that. "I'm only getting up for those fucking waffles."
"You sure it's not for your flawless boyfriend?" Levon asked and Todd snorted.
"My flawless boyfriend spent the whole night stealing the fucking blankets so he can fuck off," Todd said. He rolled away from Levon and stretched. Levon watched him for a few more seconds before he slid out of the bed. It was cold and he eagerly pulled his new Family Guys pajamas on.
"It's cold," Todd sighed. "I don't want to get up."
"Get up and get into these nice warm PJs," Levon coaxed, chucking Todd's pajamas at the bed. Todd didn't even grab them.
"It seems like a lot of work," Todd complained and rubbed at his eyes.
"Are you trying to get me to dress you, Toddy?" Levon asked, a smirk crossing his lips and Todd laughed at that.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Todd snickered and Levon climbed back onto the bed, tugging the blankets off of Todd. Todd flinched at the sudden onslaught of cold air. "Fucking hell, Lev!"
"Quit complaining, you fucking baby," Levon grinned. Todd gave him a kick that almost sent him falling off the bed. Levon laughed and then got to work dressing Todd, grinning like an idiot the whole time. Todd was watching with the most adorable smirk, and Levon was pretty sure this was now his favourite Christmas memory. "I think I prefer undressing you."
"I think you're a pervert," Todd said easily and Levon nodded in acceptance. Todd pulled his own shirt on but Levon put socks on the man's feet, much to Todd's amusement.
They brushed their teeth and then they went down to the living room, hands linking together as they walked. Dating Todd was as easy as breathing for Levon. It all felt natural, to grab his hand, or pressing kisses to his lips that Todd didn't even pretend he hated anymore. Levon had never been happier. Loving every moment he had with Todd.
"Look who finally showed up," Jasper spoke up when they walked into the room. He was next to Ophelia on the couch, cradling a mug of coffee. Bree and Gwen were sharing the loveseat with smiles on their faces. "Decided to have a morning quickie?"
"It was pretty amazing," Levon said sarcastically. "You should have been there."
"Okay," Bree grimaced at them while Gwen laughed. "Don't be gross."
"Oh sorry," Levon grinned. "Did you want in on it too?"
"You're a sick little fucker," Jasper said, and Bree chucked a throw pillow at her eldest child while her wife burst out laughing.
"No swearing on Christmas!" Bree scolded. "I swear I raised you better than that."
"Kick his ass mom!" Levon cheered, dropping to the floor to lean against the couch his siblings were occupying. Todd followed and clumsily lowered himself next to Levon, then slumped against him. Levon pressed a quick kiss to the dark bedhead and grinned.
"How about we start with the presents from Santa instead?" Gwen offered and Levon rolled his eyes but didn't comment. The gift giving went on from there. Everyone laughing and shouting as they opened things. It was sweet and loud and everything Levon enjoyed with his family, especially with Todd pressed against his side, grinning at everything.
Then, snickering, Levon pulled the box he'd wrapped for Todd out and set it on Todd's lap. "For you, Toddy."
"Is it alive?" Todd asked immediately and there was a burst of laughter. The previous year Levon had gifted him- jokingly of course- the massive spider that had been in the bathroom. Todd had not been thrilled.
"It's very much not alive," Levon assured him, lips curling into a grin. Todd narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Then he carefully unwrapped it and opened the box.
"Oh, fuck off, Levon," Todd snapped and shoved the lid back on the box.
"What is it?" Jasper was instantly interested and they all ignored Bree's tired plea for them to stop cursing.
"It's a dumbass pun," Todd chucked the box onto Levon's lap while Levon just cackled. Levon opened the box and pulled out the fucking mistletoe.
"Oh my god," Ophelia burst out laughing. "When did you even buy that?"
"I bought it last year," Levon was grinning wildly and his mothers just shook their heads in amusement with their son. Levon turned to Todd and held it out. "I thought you might want it in memory of our first kiss."
"You're an idiot," Todd said, refusing to take the thing from him, cheeks darkening.
"You actually kissed under that thing?" Jasper grinned.
"It was very romantic," Levon assured his brother. "Todd was speechless."
"I should have kicked your ass," Todd glared at him. "Maybe you would have left me alone then."
"You would have been miserable if I had left you alone," Levon said and Todd just shook his head. "Now what did you get me?"
"I shouldn't give you shit after that," Todd said, pointing at the mistletoe that was now being passed around like a show and tell object.
"I'll give you another present later to make up for it," Levon smiled suggestively and Todd shoved the man away from himself while Jasper started hooting obnoxiously.
"It's the little box in the corner," Todd sighed. Levon quickly retrieved said box and sat down next to Todd to open it. When he did he burst out laughing.
"Are you serious?" Levon grinned and Todd's lips twitched.
"You're making me reconsider," Todd said. Inside the box was a handful of badly made friendship bracelets; all handmade with Cash and Parker's help. Colourful strings and beads. Levon loved them.
"This is the best day of my life," Levon gushed sarcastically. "We're finally friends! All it took was five months of dating and almost ten years of whatever the hell we were!"
"I actually thought you guys would start giving gifts more seriously since you were dating," Ophelia said, looking quite disappointed in the boys. "But you still give these dumbass joke gifts."
"Are you judging our relationship?" Levon asked, arching a brow at his sister and she gave him a flat look.
"Yes."
"Well, okay," Levon turned away and Todd snorted a laugh. They bickered a bit more but Todd's phone rang so he pulled the device from his pocket and excused himself to answer it. Levon knew right away it was his mother, they all must have known from the drop in his expression. They all watched him leave with sympathetic looks.
Levon decided he should probably be moral support. He pulled himself to his feet and went to the kitchen and found Todd leaning against the dining room doorway with his phone pressed to his ear. Levon went up behind him, hugging him from behind and chin on the other man's shoulder. Todd didn't protest at all so Levon figured that meant he was allowed to stay.
"I really don't care," Todd said into the phone, voice tight and Levon kissed his neck softly. "You can spend Christmas with your family. I'm spending it with mine."
"You were upset last year," Levon could hear Johanna's voice and grimaced in distaste. "I'm just trying to make sure I'm not ruining your holiday."
"You don't have the power to ruin it," Todd told her and there was a pause.
"I'd like to see you while you're home," Johanna said and Todd tensed. "We haven't seen each other since the summer."
"I think things have been great that way," Todd responded, his free hand gripped Levon's arm and Levon hugged him tighter. "Less drama."
"I want to talk, Todd," Johanna said. "We have to talk about this."
"I'd really rather not have a conversation with someone who sees a pedophile when they look at me," Todd said harshly.
"I'm sorry I ever said that to you, Todd."
"If you come home, let me know. I'd really rather not be in the house while you are," Todd said and hung up without waiting on her response. He shoved the phone into his pocket and Levon nuzzled his face into Todd's shoulder.
"I really hate her," Todd grunted and Levon hummed in agreement.
"She is kind of a cunt."
"Fucking right."
They were silent for a few moments. Then Todd turned in Levon's arms, hugging him back and Levon smiled.
"Do you think we need to up the Christmas gift thing?" Todd said, changing the subject. "Ophelia may have a point."
"I think she's full of shit," Levon said and Todd laughed weakly. "We do our things our way. As long as we're happy who gives a fuck if it isn't the norm. We're perfect."
"You're so mushy," Todd complained. "It's awful."
"You're just as mushy as I am," Levon laughed. "You just like to act all gruff."
Todd scowled at him and Levon kissed the wrinkled nose. Todd pulled away slightly, as much as he could while still hugging, but Levon followed the movement to pull Todd into a kiss. It was short and sweet. They pulled apart much too soon, smiling with hooded eyes.
They returned to the living room and receive smiles as they sit down again. The morning progresses. Levon was happy the phone call to his mother hadn't ruined Todd's mood completely. Todd cheered up and was able to joke around with Levon's siblings while Gwen and Bree moved to the kitchen to make waffles.
From what Levon knew Todd hadn't spoken to his mother since their big fight. Levon knew that Todd's mother had left an enormous amount of missed calls and unread texts on Todd's phone the first month after the fight, all of which Todd deleted. He was pretty sure Todd had started texting back in October, only to tell his mother he didn't want to see her over any of the holidays. Levon was sure it hadn't made Todd feel any better. Johanna never made Todd feel better.
There weren't many people that Levon hated but Todd's parents were two of those people. People that hurt Todd so badly easily made it onto Levon's shit-list. Levon wished he could rectify all the pain they'd caused Todd, but all he knew how to do was hug Todd and hoped the support made the man feel better.
Sitting around the living room with his family, Levon was sure that there was magic in the air. Todd was leaning slightly against him, both of them eating from their own waffles and trying not to make a mess of the couch. The lights on the tree were stunning, Jasper and Ophelia were bickering, Levon's moms were cuddling on the loveseat looking so happy that Levon couldn't stop smiling. It was perfect. Everything felt perfect.
Pursuing a relationship with Todd had probably been the best decision Levon had ever made. It was everything he had wanted, and everything he could have dreamed of wanting in a relationship. The only downside he could find with being so fucking in love with Todd was the long-distance portions, when they were separated for weeks at a time due to school.
They called and texted each other regularly, Levon tried to make as many visits as he could to Todd's campus to visit. Todd liked to pretend he didn't miss Levon back, acting gruff and heartless, but Levon saw right through the behaviour. He knew how much Todd missed him by how hard he hugged him, the staring, the way his kisses- that had improved through practice-Â were back to being sloppy and desperate as soon as they were reunited after being apart.
Knowing that Todd loved him was enough to make Levon light-headed with joy. Todd had yet to say it outright; Todd was never a man to express his feelings, but Levon knew anyway. The dates that Todd worked so hard to plan and make perfect. The sweet texts and mumbled affections into the phone. The way that Todd seemed to be glued to his side whenever they were together, unwilling to be away from him when they only had a short time before they were to be going back to school.
It was a lazy day spent lounging around the house. Todd and Levon got forced into shoveling the driveway and front steps; a job they made longer by goofing around and throwing snowballs. Then they went inside and had hot chocolate and candy canes. Betto ended up coming over later in the day, eager to see Ophelia. Levon and Todd decided to stay in the living room while the happy couple did their gift exchange.
"Can you both fuck off?" Betto said, half laughing and half glaring at the grinning men on the couch.
"Ophelia told us we did our gift giving wrong," Levon told him and Ophelia narrowed her eyes at his grin. "We want to see how the pros do it."
"Why would you challenge him?" Betto asked, casting his girlfriend an exasperated look. "You know Levon is a moron."
"You know this moron can hear you," Levon snickered. "And he will replace your vanilla pudding with mayonnaise."
"You touch my pudding and I'll break your legs," Betto threatened, glaring playfully and Levon slouched into Todd's side, tugging the other man's arm around his shoulders.
"You'll have to go through Todd," Levon told him. "And we know he'll kick your ass."
"Why do you think I'll defend you if you piss him off?" Todd scoffed at Levon while Betto just looked amused with the prospect of Todd kicking his ass.
"Do you realize how much bigger than Todd I am?" Betto asked and Levon squinted at him, lips twitching into a grin.
"Size isn't everything," Levon sang and Todd rolled his eyes. "I have faith in Todd's abilities."
"You're an idiot," Todd sighed and Levon had to laugh. Betto handed his gift to Ophelia then, deciding he was done with the conversation. Ophelia took the gift and inside was a trilogy of books Levon knew she had wanted. Ophelia was all shrieks and hugs. Then she gave Betto two new controllers for his game system, customized ones with dragons. There was more hugging. Levon thought it was safe to say his and Todd's gifts had been much more enjoyable. Betto eventually asked what exactly Todd and Levon had given each other to earn such harsh comments from Ophelia.
"Jewelry," Levon smirked, holding out his decorated wrists. Betto leaned in to get a better look then cracked up at the colourful bracelets.
"Friendship bracelets? Seriously?" Betto laughed. Todd grinned a little, and Levon thought he looked adorable.
"He earned those," Todd said and Levon chuckled.
"Damn right I did," Levon snickered to Betto. "Guess you're on the back burner now, bub."
"Just 'cause you're sucking his dick doesn't mean he loves you more than he loves me," Betto warned and Todd went pink as he scowled. "I'm still his number one."
"I hate both of you equally," Todd told them dryly. "Parker is my new number one."
Dinner was fun. Shephard's pie that Bree made at the last minute and they all ate in front of the TV, unwilling to let go of the lazy attitude of the house. Levon and Todd were on the floor again. It was dim, the room only lit by the TV screen and the Christmas lights. Betto, Ophelia, and Jasper on the couch, Levon's moms on the loveseat again. Rise of the Guardians playing across the screen.
"Can you both stop being so cuddly," Jasper groaned after a few minutes, casting a distasteful look at his younger sister and Betto. "It's disgusting."
"Are you feeling lonely?" Levon teased and shied against Todd to avoid the kick his brother aimed at his head.
"You can come cuddly with your mommies," Bree offered, pulling the blanket she and Gwen were sharing aside to make room. "You don't have to be lonely."
"Yeah, go cuddle with your mommies," Ophelia urged and snickered along with Levon.
"I'm not lonely," Jasper argued and gestured to the two on the couch with him. "I'd just rather not watch my sister drape herself all over Todd's friend."
"My boyfriend," Ophelia corrected.
"You've been watching your other sister draper herself over Todd," Betto said, smirking as he nudged Levon and Todd laughed. "You should be used to it."
"I'd like to say that I am very much a boy," Levon arched a brow at Betto. "Ask Todd. He can confirm."
"Shut up, Levon," Todd was glaring in an instant and there was a bout of laughter around the room. Levon tilted his head and pressed a quick kiss to Todd's warm cheek, and Todd shoved him away.
"All of you shut up," Gwen scolded them. "I like this movie and you're ruining it."
"Sorry, mama," Levon quipped with a cheeky smile.
"Not that you haven't seen this movie a hundred times already," Ophelia muttered and grinned innocently when her parents both looked at her. Gwen then raised the volume until it was loud enough to drown out any conversation. Todd laughed at that.
They all stacked their dirty dishes out of the way when they were done. Levon scooted close to Todd, wrapping his arm around the other man's shoulders. Todd didn't protest, allowing Levon to draw him close. Levon pressed a kiss to Todd's hair and Todd sighed softly, barely audible with the movie volume.
"You okay?" Levon whispered into Todd's ear and Todd nodded. Levon assumed that the man's thought's had drifted to Johanna. The tightness of his lips, the sad look in his eyes.
"Yeah," Todd breathed. He turned his head and their eyes met. Levon thought he looked beautiful in the multicoloured lights. "Just thinking."
"What are you thinking about?" Levon pried, lips twitching and Todd rolled his eyes, looking away.
"I always wanted to be Kipling," Todd murmured. Levon's heart clenched at that. It was something he knew Todd had wished when they were younger, but the boy had never voiced it. He had always, very clearly, wanted to be a part of Levon's family. It was likely why Levon's mothers had accepted Todd so readily.
"I could make you a Kipling," Levon whispered, smirking when Todd turned to look at him. "Just say 'I do'."
"Idiot," Todd scoffed immediately, shoving Levon away as much as Levon allowed. Levon wasn't planning to let Todd get away at all.
***
Here, have a Christmas chapter in the middle of June. It's not weird. XD
Like two more chapters left to go, thanks for sticking with this thus far. <3