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It was Jack and Alex's first Christmas together and since Alex's family would be in England for the holiday they would be spending it with Jack's. Jack had repeatedly made it known that Alex didn't have to come with him to his parents and Alex was starting to feel very unwanted.
"Are you sure you want to come tomorrow?" He asked as he walked in from the small kitchen with a mug of coffee in each hand.
"For god's sake Jack! If you don't want me there then just say it! Stop trying to put it on me to decide not to come."
Jack startled slightly, taken aback by the outburst. "What? No! I didn't mean it like that." He sighed, running a hand through the bleached strip of his hair. "It's just that my family can be... a lot." He mumbled, sending Alex a sheepish smile. "I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or make things weird between us."
Alex couldn't quite believe that was all he was worried about. "Your family can't be that bad Jack." Jack laughed, shaking his head.
"It's easy to say that when you haven't met them."
Alex rolled his eyes, shifting himself on the couch so he was facing the younger lad properly. "Jack. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Okay? Besides I'm not dating you for your family, so it really doesn't matter what they're like." Jack didn't look convinced but nodded anyway.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
As they pulled up outside Jack's parents home Alex couldn't deny he was a little nervous. Their day so far had been pretty relaxed; they'd slept late, had some pretty hot sex and exchanged gifts. Now he was about to meet Jack's parents for the first time and as much as he'd insisted on coming he was starting the feel a little sick.
"This is your last chance to change your mind," Jack warned, he looked just as nervous as Alex felt. Despite his nerves, Alex shook his head.
"No, I'm good. Let's do this." Jack muttered something under his breath that Alex didn't quite catch before getting out of the car. Alex quickly followed suit, following Jack up the drive to the porch.
Jack knocked and they waited a long moment, loud voices sounding inside. Finally, the door opened a short dark-haired woman in a bright green Christmas sweater with an elf on it came into view, smiling brightly. "Jack!" She cried, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Hey, Mom." He hugged back just as tight and Alex smiled as he watched.
"You must be Alex." She said as she let go of Jack, pulling him into a death hug of his own.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Barakat," Alex said awkwardly, feeling slightly winded by the force she had used to grab him. She chuckled warmly, letting him go but patting his cheek affectionately. "Please, Dear, call me Joyce." He nodded, slightly taken aback by the whole thing.
"Hey stop cheating!" A male voice shouted from the living room. "Mom said we can't start looking until Jack gets here." Alex glanced at Jack in confusion and he immediately blushed scarlet. "And? Do you really want him winning again? He'll only make us sit through Home Alone for the billionth time." A female responded. Joyce sighed, shaking her head fondly.
"Excuse me." She said before turning on her heels and heading back into the living room.
"What's going on?" Alex asked as Joyce began chastising the room's occupants. Jack sighed, blushing hard and scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. "So we have this really weird Christmas tradition." He began awkwardly. Alex nodded and waited patiently for Jack to continue, it was clear how uncomfortable he was right now and it was making Alex a little nervous.
"Okay, don't ask me how it started because it's been going on since before I was born. So every year my mom builds a little model village, it spreads out over most of the house. Once she's done constructing it she hides a plastic vampire action figure in amongst all the little villagers and then on Christmas day we all go search for him. Whoever finds the vampire wins and they get the first present from under the tree, a plate of sfouf and to pick the Christmas movie later tonight."
There was a long silence as Alex just stared at him, trying to process everything his boyfriend had just said. "What's sfouf?" Jack blinked, face morphing from embarrassment to disbelief. "After everything I just told you, that's your first question?" He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Your ability to just take things as they come and roll with it genuinely astounds me some times." Alex didn't know what to say to that.
"Sfouf is a sort of cake." He said after a moment, turning to Alex with a warm smile. He took his hand and pulled him towards the living room.
Alex's eyes widened as he looked around. The edge of the room was surrounded by a beautiful handcrafted village just as Jack had said. All the buildings were painted in high detail, had working lights and doors and windows that opened and closed. Every villager had their own unique outfit and there was a small steam train making a loop around the room. The village disappeared out of the door into what looked like the dining room and beyond. Holy Shit.
"Jack!" He smiled warmly as an older gentleman with greying hair and glasses got to his feet. He was unmistakably Jack's father, the resemblance impossible to miss. "Hey, Dad." He greeted, allowing himself to be pulled into another hug. "This is Alex."
He offered Alex a hand which he shook firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Sir." He grinned warmly, his surprise obvious.
"Sir. I like this one." He chuckled. "Please, call me Bassum." Alex nodded, his nerves easing just a little as the older gentleman patted his shoulder.
"These losers are May and Joe," Jack said, indicating towards the pair on the couch who had the air of naughty children in time out.
"Hey." Joe nodded politely whilst May looked him up and down.
"Good luck kid, you're in for one hell of a ride today."
"May!" Joyce hissed, but to everyone's relief, Alex laughed.
"So I've heard." May grinned in response.
"Right. Let's get this show on the road. Has someone explained this to you?" Alex nodded, surprised by the palpable excitement as everyone got to their feet. "Well alrighty then. May the best woman win." Both Jack and Joe rolled their eyes in response as Joyce climbed up onto the armchair to get out of the way. "On your marks." She called. "Get set... go!"
Alex gasped in surprise as Jack grabbed his arm and yanked him out into the hallway, heading straight for the stairs. "Jack!" He laughed as they began to climb. "Trust me I have a good feeling about upstairs." He said, releasing Alex's arm as they made it onto the landing.
Alex was amazed to find the little village expanding over most of the flooring up there, snaking along the wall and through the various rooms.
"Alex!" He snapped out of his amazed daze and got down on his knees beside his boyfriend, beginning his search.
"What does this thing even look like?" He asked as he began opening doors to the little buildings and lifting up pretend snow to see if it was laid underneath. "Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."
The pair spread out each taking a different direction. "How long does this take your mom to put together?" He called as he made his way into one of the bedrooms. "Uh, like a month? It depends how picky she gets with the world-building." Alex frowned in confusion.
"What?"
"Well like last year there was this whole dilemma where she was struggling to organise the town square because she couldn't put the bar near the toy and candy stores because the kids might run into drunk men." Alex poked his head back out the doorway so he could better gauge Jack's reaction. He had to be screwing with him right now. "You're fucking with me."
"I really wish I was."
They'd been searching the little Christmas world for the best part of an hour now and had come no closer to anything Vampiric. Alex was starting to wonder if this was all some weird prank.
He headed into the second bedroom with a sigh, listening hard to see if he could hear anyone else. Other than the occasional noise of frustration it was weirdly quiet which only added to Alex's anxiety.
He started his search back up, pausing as he noticed a small butchers. The lights inside were off and so far it was the only building that hadn't been glowing brightly. He leaned in closer opening up the small door and feeling around inside as best he could. He jumped slightly when his fingers brushed against something hard and plastic but he quickly gripped the oddly shaped item, carefully pulling it from the small structure without disturbing it too much.
He looked down and couldn't help but laugh. Laid in his hands was a small plastic Dracula, complete with a long cape and slicked black hair. "Hey Jack, is this what we're looking for?" There was the sound of heavy footfall and then suddenly Jack was skidding to a stop in the doorway. Alex held up the small plastic figure and a grin broke out on Jack's face.
"Victory!" He yelled, very loudly, making Alex jump. He ran back down the hallway, still shouting at the top of his lungs. "We found him fuckers! You lose again!" Alex couldn't help but laugh as he entered the hallway to find Jack leaning over the railing shouting down to his brother and sister. This was insane.
There was the sound of angry shouts followed by footsteps and then suddenly the two elder Barakat children appeared on the stairs, both looking heartily pissed off.
"Where is it?" May fumed as she cleared the landing. Alex held up the small figure in triumph and her face dropped. "For fuck sake." She huffed. "Where was it?" Joe asked, frowning as he joined his siblings and Alex on the landing.
"Butchers." Alex shrugged and Joe groaned.
"God damn it! I said we should check the shopping sector but oh no "it won't be there Joe, it was there last year!" and low and behold I was right." May turned on him with obvious annoyance. "And how was I supposed to know he'd be there two years in a row? He's never in the same section two years in a row!"
Jack cackled maniacally. "Looks like we're watching Home Alone again!" Alex rolled his eyes.
"Excuse me. I'm the one that found it, therefore it's my choice what we watch. No?" Jack sent him a betrayed look as both May and Joe's faces lit up with delight. "He's right Jack. He won so it's his choice. That's the rules." Jack's face dropped and Alex couldn't help but chuckle.
"Dinner's ready!" Joyce shouted up the stairs effectively putting a halt to the conversation.
"You're gonna pick Home Alone right?" Jack asked quietly as they made their way down the stairs.
"Nope." He grinned over his shoulder at him as he pouted.
"I thought you were supposed to be on my team." Alex couldn't help but laugh at the childishness of it all.
"See, I was under the impression it was every man for himself." Jack opened his mouth and closed it with a huff.
"You suck." He told him, making Alex smirk.
"I can later if you're nice to me." Jack flushed scarlet and remained quiet as they filed into the dining room.
The meal was amazing and Alex very much enjoyed hearing embarrassing stories about Jack when he was young. He also enjoyed watching Jack turn scarlet every time someone opened their mouth. He didn't think he'd ever seen Jack blush so much.
After dinner, they all gathered in the living room. "Now Alex, since you found the vampire you get the first present," Joyce announced as she handed over a brightly wrapped squish parcel. "Oh, wow. Thank you. I wasn't expecting anything." She smiled fondly, waving a dismissive hand.
"Of course Dear, we couldn't see you with nothing on Christmas day! Now it's not much but it's another family tradition. The whole family gets one."
Alex felt a little nervous as he began unwrapping the gift. Who knew what this was going to be if their other tradition was anything to go by.
He opened the package to find a bright red knitted Christmas jumper. It had snowflakes on the sleeves and a slightly wonky Christmas tree on the front. Alex didn't know what to say. "Mom makes them all," Jack explained.
"Yeah don't worry, they're always hideous," May added earning her a light slap on the arm from Joe.
"Thank you," Alex said, looking over to Joyce with a smile. "It's great." She seemed a little relieved as she smiled back.
"I hope it fits okay. I had to make it the same size as Jack's." Alex nodded, slipping the woollen creation over his head with ease. He was always stealing Jack's clothes so he was pretty confident it would fit fine.
His head emerged from the slightly too big neck hole and he found Jack grinning at him. "What?" He asked, blushing slightly under the intensity of his gaze. "You're just adorable." He shrugged, making Alex blush harder.
The rest of them then began exchanging gifts. Once Jack had unwrapped his own jumper which was a pale blue with a slightly stoned looking reindeer on it, he put it on and they took a set of hideous selfies.
This, of course, led to Joyce wanting some nice pictures of the pair together which turned into a lot of full family photos with everyone forced into their hideous knitted sweaters. It was safe to say none of the Barakat children were too impressed by the end of it.
When it came time to watch the movie Alex chose to watch The Grinch That Stole Christmas, much to Jack's dismay. He'd really been hoping Alex would pull through on the Home Alone front but in truth, Alex was just as sick of that movie as Jack's siblings were. He'd already seen it twelve times since December began.
They ended up leaving with a bag full of tupperware tubs of leftovers as well as the sfouf and presents. They both received multiple hugs and Alex was repeatedly told he was welcome to come and visit any time, with or without Jack. He'd found it all a little surreal.
The car journey home was quiet but content and Alex kept catching himself smiling like an idiot in the side mirror.
Jack had been right, his family were a lot, but Alex didn't think he'd ever had that much fun at Christmas before. His own family were far more traditional and usually ended up spending the morning in church.
"So," Jack said as they pulled up outside his apartment building. "That happened." Alex couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, it did." He met Jack's nervous gaze with a smile.
"So... are we okay?" He asked, making Alex chuckle.
"Yeah, Jack. We're great." He physically relaxed at that, his relief clear.
"Did you seriously think I was going to break up with you over that?" He asked, genuinely baffled as Jack sent him a sheepish smile.
"Well in case you hadn't noticed, my family are kind of insane." Alex gave a shrug.
"You make a lot more sense now."
"Hey!" Alex laughed at Jack's genuine offence.
"Yes that was all very strange, but I had a lot of fun. I mean, how many people can say that they spent their Christmas hunting for a plastic vampire?" Jack pretended to think.
"Outside of this family? None, because they're all normal."
"If I wanted normal I wouldn't be dating you."
"Ouch."
Alex chuckled as Jack pouted at him. "Jack, your family are great, weird traditions and all. I haven't had that much fun at Christmas since I was a kid! So no, I won't be breaking up with you over it. If anything I'm hoping I get to do it all over again next year."
The grin that broke out on Jack's face radiated pure joy. He leant across the middle console, kissing Alex hard. He sighed with content, gently pressing their foreheads together.
"You gonna stay or are you heading home?" He asked quietly, eyes hopeful.
"I think I'll stay. We've still got that mulled wine to drink." Jack grinned leaning in and pecking his lips.
"Love you, Lex." Alex chuckled, leaning in and bumping their noses together.
"I love you too, you weirdo."