CHAPTER 5 – WINTER LOVE

Glancing around the theater one last time, his eyes taking in the sets neatly hidden away, Javi left through the nearest exit with a sigh of relief and a huge smile on his face. A two-week break! Christmas was right around the corner and the producers were taking a holiday break, a much-needed one for all concerned. The show was having a long and successful run in LA and was still drawing crowds, but to accommodate the season, they’d decided to offer some traditional holiday fare. After the first of the year the decision as to whether they should remain in LA awhile longer or move on to another venue would be made – they’d certainly had plenty of takers – but that was as far from Javi’s mind as he was from Mexico City. Although Mexico City was certainly on his mind.

“Javi! You know mama would be thrilled! It would be the best Christmas gift anyone could give her this year! You haven’t been home for Christmas since the day you left!” After his last FaceTime visit with his sister, Bela, he’d been considering taking Kurt there for a visit. His parents were still separated, his papa living in the family home in Quintana Roo and his mama living with Bela for what was turning into an indefinite visit. Maybe it wasn’t exactly what anyone would call the ideal time for him to be introducing her to his “hombre joven (young man),” as his mama liked to call Kurt but……

With Bela’s assurances it suddenly seemed like the perfect time to Javi. His father wouldn’t be there for a whole host of reasons. He hated cities like CDMX (Mexico City), its 500 plus square miles grasping like tentacles over the mesas, stopped only by the mountains surrounding it….with a population of almost ten million. And Christmas was sacred. Preparation consumed all of his time in December, managing three choirs, organizing the Christmas programs while still finding time to celebrate the joy of the season.

But Javi knew that even with all of that, he’d be with his mama at Christmas if it weren’t for his distain, bordering on hatred, of his children’s life choices. Yes, he still believed, insisted! that Javi had chosen to be gay. The mental picture that always accompanied that thought still haunted him, waving his hand eagerly in the air declaring, “Pick me!” as if someone was seeking volunteers for the dubious honor of living a life on the Island of Misfit Toys. His three siblings’ decisions to leave Quintana Roo to pursue their own dreams paled in comparison.

He would never willingly subject Kurt to that even though he knew Kurt would face his father’s disapproval with the strength and bravery he’d exhibited all of his life. Kurt had slapped the face of that attitude at the age of 13, pushing past it time and time again with a determination that exceeded even his father’s excessive condemnation.

But his mama had made an equally brave choice to leave his papa for the sake of having a relationship with her four children. She was adamant that she would not return to Quintana Roo until he relented. The almost complete absence of Rico, Lalo, Bela and Javi had turned her world to black and white. But no more!

He was waiting to talk it over with Kurt, still somewhat hesitant. Ever since they’d met the idea of them traveling together to Mexico had been a bone of contention and he wanted to be positive he and Kurt were ready. Well, probably that he was ready more than Kurt. Kurt had never fully understood why visiting Mexico was such a big deal, but Kurt hadn’t grown up in Mexico. Javi could tell him the dangers from now until the end of time and it wouldn’t matter. He lived out and proud no matter where he went while Javi was still sitting on the floor of his self-imposed closet.

He’d never made a formal announcement, even though the Mexican press had hounded him relentlessly. His worldwide fans were, for the most part, accepting of what seemed to be an open secret, including those in Central and South America. But Mexico? There were a million reasons he hadn’t come out in Mexico, not the least of which was the embarrassment and ridicule that would almost certainly befall his family. He mentally adjusted that – not his whole family. His papa, a pastor, a church choir director – it would destroy him unless…..Javi had stopped tiptoeing past the hope of “unless” long ago.

Javi’s bags were packed and ready for the short flight to San Diego. He hadn’t been home in months and he was looking forward to it with great anticipation. Sitting in the airport waiting area, the music from his headphones keeping him company, his thoughts took him on a short cruise of his past. The airports, backstage, sound checks, hotel rooms, his passion for performing propelling him, on tour for months at a time, him and Tonio and Rigo…and then just him and the road crew.

Todo Cambio….the song they’d written for each other never realizing how prophetic the words would be to their futures. Everything HAD (Todo cambio) changed when he and Tonio met…but the fans had turned it into a Mateo theme song, loudly requesting it at every concert. And always another time…another stage…another sound check….a place where they could be just Tonio and Javi singing a song to each other without worry that the crowd would pick up on the true nature of the relationship…

But now that Kurt was in his life, the concept of home meant so much more to him. They’d be spending their second Christmas together. He smiled at the thought of the upcoming decorating party, evergreen trees in almost every room, friends he’d come to think of as family carefully adorning the branches with the precious ornamental gems he’d lovingly collected from every country he’d visited.

His friends had deemed him a Christmas fanatic with an unquenchable obsession…and he had to agree with them. He’d grown up with the church calendar as a backdrop to his life and he clung to many of those traditions as part of his faith. It may not look like his father’s version of Christmas or faith, but he’d had to come to terms with that long ago, finally realizing that satisfying his papa’s perceptions of faith wasn’t what mattered. His faith was firmly planted in God, in the Christian tradition. His faith had rarely wavered, even when he was living rough in Mexico City, fleeing Quintana Roo to fulfill his destiny.

It seemed far longer than a year ago that he and Kurt had celebrated their first Christmas. He removed the gold bracelet with a raised infinity symbol of black onyx in the center. It was engraved on the inside with Kurt’s first name and the words, “My lover, my friend, my soulmate December 2,” his favorite gift. December 2 – the day they’d exchanged the words “I love you” for the first time.

He could still hear Kurt’s squeal of delight when he’d held up the key ring that bore the keys to Javi’s house, inviting him to move in with him. He kept the keys to what had become their house in the satchel he took with him everywhere. And very Kurt-like, he’d made a spare front door key that he’d hidden in one of the decorative birdhouses in the backyard just in case.

Javi smiled to himself. The rest of the keys were kept in a box hidden in Kurt’s sanctuary room and as far as Javi knew he’d never used the two keys he’d requested not be used unless he asked Javi beforehand. Sometimes he almost wished Kurt wasn’t so meticulous, so respectful of others’ property almost to a fault. He really wanted to see his face the first time he went to the basement, but that was for another time…or maybe not at all. He’d know if and when the time was right.

One of his favorite Christmas songs was I’ll Be Home by Meghan Trainor. He’d hoped to release it himself as a cover. But this year there’d been no time or energy…maybe next year. As he hummed it to himself it began to take on a whole new meaning. Returning to Mexico to the family he loved…..returning to San Diego to his lover, his friend, his soul mate….he’d be with all of his “loves” for Christmas.

Kurt and Adam had lugged the last of countless storage boxes into the living room. After last year, he’d known what to expect and, of course, Javi had added a few more trinkets as he did every year. Was there anywhere in the world that sold Christmas ornaments that Javi hadn’t discovered?

Tonight would be Kurt’s last class until after the new year. He absolutely loved what he was doing! His passion for writing, his talent for teaching….everything fed his imagination. Of course it was work! Alot of work! But it brought him endless joy.

“Are we still discussing the fantasies tonight?” Adam asked, interrupting Kurt’s thoughts. He didn’t have to say what fantasies. “The fantasies” had been front and center in their minds ever since Kurt had proposed the idea of exchanging them. Not surprisingly, Adam and Ethan had even discussed their respective fantasies in a general sense with one other couple. Technically, they weren’t supposed to discuss them at all, except with their partner, but what was Kurt going to do? Slap their hands with a ruler? Take the fantasy away and take everyone else’s away, too, like punishment in kindergarten? And Kurt wasn’t oblivious. In some ways his forbidding discussion was his way of getting his students to discuss it with whomever they chose. The more dialogue, the better, was his real philosophy. Another talent he hadn’t realized he had, the ability to read human nature and use it to his best advantage. He tried not to think of it as manipulation….more like facilitation? Okay, so maybe a little of both.

“Yeah, why?” Adam should have known by now that Kurt walked a straight line from point A to point B and if anything happened to interrupt his alphabetic march, he would text everyone immediately. There were rare surprises when it came to Kurt’s classes, except perhaps in the subject matter.

“Well, um….I thought maybe I should forewarn you….” he hesitated, but underneath the irresistible urge to gossip was a true concern. “Jesse and Jared…..look I know we’re not supposed to discuss this stuff with other people, but they picked up this really out there fantasy and they don’t know what to do with it.” “They don’t have to do anything with it, remember? That’s totally up to them. The fantasy exchange was just a way to show you all what can be not what has to be. Sure, I think playing them out might be fun and give everyone a fresh perspective, but compulsory sex is not part of my curriculum, Adam….although it would make for an interesting chapter in the book,” Kurt chuckled.

Adam crossed his arms and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, then settled them on Kurt’s face. “That’s sort of the problem….it’s not that they don’t want to try it….it’s that they don’t know how….or with whom….look, I guess I just have to be plain. It’s a fantasy about…..watching…” his voice trailed off, still choking on the right words.

Ahhhhhh!!!! So that was the “problem.” At first Kurt was a little surprised. He had sort of expected that he might find out who had picked up he and Javi’s fantasy, but he hadn’t expected to hear the information from anyone but the couple themselves. Like maybe they’d come to him privately. After all, even Javi had been a bit stunned by Kurt’s idea.

The tiny seed that had planted itself in his mind when he’d first conceived of this assignment, for lack of a better word, began to take root and grow. In some ways he knew that he’d had a secret hope that he would find the couple or individual who might be interested in playing it out right here, in his circle of students and friends. On the other hand, he still wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to fulfill the fantasy with one of the couples in his classes. It could go wrong in a thousand different ways. But now wasn’t the time to examine the potentials. Perhaps Jesse and Jared would approach him themselves…and perhaps not.

Yet, he couldn’t resist. Putting on a clueless but serious face he looked at Adam and said, “Watching?” Adam was squirming, his eyes darting away from Kurt’s every time he tried to make eye contact, “Yeah, you know….observing? Watching! Geez, Kurt do I have to spell it out?” Kurt snickered, “It would appear that you do, but do you mean voyeurism, v-o-y-e-u-r-i-s-m?” “Uhhhh, you and your fifty dollar words! Yeah, I guess that’s it.” “Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Kurt laughed again. “Stop it, Kurt! It’s not funny! Just like that day when you joked about a threesome, remember? Not funny!” How could he forget! Adam had practically ran from the poolside patio to the front door! This was just Kurt’s way of getting back at Adam for all the grief he gave him at his own expense.

Relenting, Kurt said, “Okay, alright, thanks for the heads up. But do you really find that fantasy particularly distasteful or out there as you said?” Still obviously uncomfortable, Adam said, “I don’t know….it’s just something I’ve never really thought about….I mean in the way it’s described in that…..so okay, watching Ethan doing something….like that…just him and me, we’ve done that…but doing it with other people?” poor Adam was so tied in knots. “Don’t you think it’s….”

“Adam, what I think doesn’t really matter, but for the record, yes, I’ve thought about it…we’ve thought about, and since you ask…..like anything else, if it’s completely consensual? Why not? All you have to do is Google it to find out how many people don’t think it’s wrong or find it out there,” Kurt said, putting the word wrong in air quotes. “All that really matters is what the people engaged in it think. And remember, a good portion of the world still thinks that being gay is wrong! That what we do and who we are is wrong!” Kurt tried to calm himself, not wanting to reveal that Javi’s real-life half-hiddenness was still never far from his mind.

“Okay, yeah, of course….I see your point….it’s just…” “That you’ve never thought about it or tried it and that makes you leery, ” Kurt finished Adam’s sentence. “Can we talk about something else?” Adam pled. It was moments like these that Adam wondered who’d kidnapped the real Kurt Hummel. In the past it had been Kurt begging to talk about something else…..anything but sex or his personal life. But Kurt let it go…the subject turned to the upcoming decorating party Javi had almost every year, what edible delights Chef Adam had in store for the gathering, what gifts they might be considering for Javi and Ethan.

“So, let’s get down to business,” Kurt said attempting to turn the chatter around to the topic of this night’s class. It had been hard getting everyone settled. Christmas and the upcoming party proved to be a mighty distraction. And for once Kurt wasn’t watching the clock making sure that everything went as he’d planned, ending class at precisely 9:30.

“Anyone want to volunteer something they’ve discovered with this lesson? Have any of you attempted the fantasy you chose…and no you don’t have to tell us or go into detail unless you want to. Or did it give you an idea for another fantasy…..or maybe made you curious enough to do some research on your own? If you did, where did you find the info if you want to share it. It might help others begin to know where to look.”

As usual, even after all the months they’d been meeting, it was like watching a flock of birds perched on a power line, turning their heads to look at each other, waiting for the first one to chirp.

Rich and Dennis looked at each other and sort of nodded, “Okay, so what if you’re not monogamous?” Everyone knew that they weren’t, which wasn’t really that uncommon among gay couples. In fact, for it to work you had to have a very high level of trust, maybe even more than those who embraced monogamy. “I mean, what if your fantasy is something like you want someone you’ve met….and um….had sex with to also meet your partner? It’s one thing to have an open relationship and another to….I guess sort of combine….your outside interests with your partner. For us, the only ground rules are that we practice safe sex and we let the other know after it happens. We don’t want to know who. And sometimes we bring things into our relationship that we’ve learned from….um someone else….but, like I said….what if one of us…or even both of us….wants them to meet a….well, for lack of a better word….hookup?”

Hmmmm…this was a scenario Kurt had never considered, but then why would he? He’d never been in an open relationship. And it wasn’t Kurt’s teaching method to answer all of the questions. He encouraged lots of discussion. Kaden spoke up, “Well, if you’re both okay with it, what’s the problem? But why would you want to have your partner meet a one-nighter? Isn’t that sort of the purpose of hookups?” Someone else ventured, “Yeah! If you wanted to introduce your partner to someone you’ve only had sex with wouldn’t it sort of imply that that person meant more to you than a simple hookup?” Others nodded. “I’d say unless you have a very good reason to introduce them….well, I’m not you, but it would make me wonder why this person in particular.”

“Okay….so maybe the reason is you think this person could teach you both something or maybe you wanted to try a threesome. If your relationship is grounded and you really trust each other, you should be able to get all the obstacles out in the open beforehand, right?” Rich said. Ben spoke up, “But…and this is just me….wouldn’t you kind of be risking one or the other of you developing feelings for that person? Do you want to turn your twosome into a threesome permanently?” And round and round it went, flowing from that topic into yet another as they all began to relax into the subject.

He’d arrived at the airport considerably earlier than his scheduled flight as always…and now they were announcing it would be arriving late. Maybe he should have just driven to San Diego. Even this early in December, the airlines were overburdened with holiday travelers. Oh, well, another hour wasn’t going to make a significant difference in their plans.

Might as well get comfortable again, he thought, letting his mind take him back to the last night, mulling over the evening, his ideas, Kurt’s call. And for now he had the luxury of time.

Javi had gratefully sunk into the curves of the recliner, a glass of wine resting on the table beside him. Time to think! It felt good to let his mind relax. Just like Kurt he was beginning to feel the wear and tear of the play combined with living in LA, something he never intended to be permanent. But that wasn’t what he wanted to think about right now; that could wait until after Christmas. He wanted to plan a real surprise fantasy for him and Kurt. They hadn’t been together in their home in San Diego for months, much less made love there, and he missed that. They’d talked about a whole host of fantasies, but mostly as it applied to Kurt’s classes. They were just too busy, plain and simple. No! he corrected himself, they were simply letting their busyness get in the way….and that needed to be fixed.

He looked around the apartment, although why he was seeking inspiration from a room so utilitarian he didn’t know. Someday he’d get around to decorating the place; he’d never planned to live in it indefinitely. Sipping his wine, he lowered the lighting and closed his eyes.

All sorts of ideas flitted through his mind, some similar to things they’d already done, some that he and Tonio had brought to life, but none that really said, “Yes! This is perfect!” Finally, he quit trying to force something suitable onto the pages of the script he was trying to create. It had been a long day….a long week really and he was tired. He’d have time to think about it tomorrow. He let the wine lull him to sleep, fully clothed sitting upright on the couch.

That had certainly been a lively discussion! These were the nights, the classes, that Kurt lived for. It didn’t just give him more ideas and thoughts for his book and future classes, but it also knit the group together even more. The fact that they discussed it outside of class as Adam had indicated told him that they were becoming comfortable with each other, more so than they had been before. He hoped that also extended to knitting the couples’ relationship together even more as well.

As everyone was collecting their class materials, Jesse approached him and waited until he was done talking with another class member. “Kurt, can I….we….um….can we talk to you for a minute?” Jared hung back as if waiting for an invitation. After all, Jesse knew Kurt better than he did, and he wanted to wait to see if Kurt had the time and was willing to broach the subject of their assigned fantasy. “Always!” he replied, quietly leading them toward the couch that took up space inside the alcove.

“Well, I know we should be comfortable talking about this stuff with each other by now….but it still feels kind of weird…” Trying to put them more at ease he said, “It’s okay, what we discuss in this class is highly personal and sensitive. Take your time.” By now Kurt was pretty sure he knew what they wanted to talk about, but he didn’t let on, keeping a poker face. “It’s about the fantasy we got….” He reached over and took Jared’s hand. “It’s…um…something we’re sort of interested in trying, but we don’t know how to go about….um…”

Kurt interrupted Jesse’s rambling with, “First, tell me what the fantasy is about; that might help.” Jesse and Jared looked at each other, still appearing uneasy. “It’s about….voyeurism…..watching…..you know….” Kurt attempted to appear relieved and confident in his response, “Okay, so are you both interested or just one of you?” Although they’d spent many an hour hashing it over, still, they glanced at each other again for reassurance. “Both of us,” Jesse said as Jared nodded his agreement.

“So what’s your biggest concern?” Kurt asked like this was a conversation people had every day. “I guess finding the right person or couple. And we don’t want to….um….well…I don’t want to watch someone have sex with Jared and the same for him. We want to watch them and vice versa. But….we don’t want everybody…” he slid his eyes to a cluster of classmates chatting in a corner. “I get it,” Kurt said, “and I understand completely. You don’t want to be the subject of the latest gossip at The Rafters,” the three of them knowing full well that that was almost impossible. Adam’s revelation earlier in the day was clearly a case in point. Everyone in this room had been a hot topic at some point – the price they paid for living in a closely knit neighborhood.

“And we’d like to try it with someone we already know, if possible. We’re not sure doing it with strangers would fit for us. Doing it with someone we know would make it more intimate? interesting? not like watching porn or a movie I guess?”

“Ahhhhh, I see your dilemma….let me think about this, okay? One thing you may want to think about if you haven’t already is that in doing this with friends or acquaintances it might create a whole new dynamic in your relationship with them, which could be good or bad.”

Finally, Jesse spoke up, “Thanks, Kurt. At first we wanted to tear up that piece of paper and throw it as far away as we possibly could, but then the idea started to grow on us. We even did some online research,” Jesse said, as if this was a novel idea. “Sure…give me until after the holidays?” “Yeah, that would be fine. Just talking about it makes it seem….I don’t know what to call it. I just feel better about it is all.”

Blaine was equally as glad to have two weeks off! And Jeff had managed to get a whole week off, making frantic trades for the past couple months. He knew it hadn’t been easy. Everyone wanted the holidays off! But, thankfully, it had all fallen into place and Jersey was due to arrive in LA in two days.

It had been so much fun decorating their apartment together! Last year he’d reluctantly decorated for Christmas with Susan, his roommate at the time. She’d coaxed him into getting down the ornaments that he and Kurt had used, the only ones he had. Last year at this time he’d been weeping over a box full of memories wondering where his life was headed and why he wanted Kurt to still be a part of it. And only a couple of weeks later his life had changed forever. Jeff was the best Christmas present he’d ever received.

He laughed at the festive wreath they’d placed on the door of the Green Room; the Celery Room sounded sort of ridiculous. They were just trying to put the best face on it. It didn’t feel like just a spare bedroom anymore. Neither wanted to think or talk about the happenings and negative vibes that had existed within its walls only a few short weeks ago. Jeff had suggested a sprig of mistletoe, but Blaine said he didn’t want to kiss anyone under the door header of that room. And Jeff had to agree.

Since removing the broken picture frame and the photo it contained, taking it to Kurt and Javi’s storage locker, nothing untoward had happened. True, they hadn’t been back in the room, that was tempting fate way too much for them, but the whole apartment seemed to breath a sigh of relief. Maybe it was just their imaginations, but Blaine didn’t really care.

The dream had persisted, but he had only had it once since carrying that disturbing object out the door. He’d texted with Kurt briefly just yesterday, touching base about their common problem. Kurt had had the dream twice, but hardly anything had changed, except his dreams now included the room with celery-colored walls. Blaine had always marveled at the fact that Kurt could dream in color. His dreams were never in color, but the contents of this dream were colorful enough without adding to it.

Javi had been awakened by the chirp of his phone. His groggy mind glanced at the text from Kurt, “Have time to talk?” Ever considerate, that was his Kurtito! Maybe he had more on his mind than just talking or maybe not, but he treasured every single interaction they had, especially when they were apart. He replied with a waving hand emoji and the next thing he knew his hands were holding the ringing phone. Swiping to the left, he heard Kurt’s voice say, “Who loves ya, baby?”

Javi laughed, still trying to focus. “Well, I’m hoping it’s you, mi tom kitty!” “I woke you up, didn’t I?” Kurt said, “I’m sorry.” “It’s just the wine.” “You’re drinking alone? You know what they say about that….” “Okay, mama, I don’t need a lecture on solitary drinking. It was only one glass. So, are you calling to give me a lecture on behavior modification or maybe a lesson in….sexual behavior modification.” Sexy time phone tag was one of their favorite games, along with FaceTime tag. They’d tried texting tag, but it hadn’t worked very well. Texting wasn’t conducive to creating a sexy atmosphere.

“Mmmmm……maybe a little of both. After what I have to tell you….I guess one could lead to the other.” Javi tried not to yawn into the phone, but failed, “So what is it you want to tell me?” He asked, hearing the guarded excitement in Kurt’s voice. “This is just a big maybe….but I may have found someone to help us with our voyeurism fantasy.”

Javi hesitated, “Wait, don’t go any further. That was your fantasy, not ours…well, not completely. And when you say someone do you mean one person or a couple?” “A couple. And before you ask, yes, we know them, but I’m not telling you who until we get closer to a real something happening.” In some ways, Javi was still a bit uncertain about this particular development in their lives, “What was their reasoning behind why they wanted to try this?” Kurt was silent for a second, gathering his thoughts. He wanted to get this right. “They didn’t want to watch each other have sex with someone else…let’s see, they wanted to watch another couple and vice versa….and they wanted it to be with people they knew. They liked the intimacy of that idea and thought it would be more of a turn-on. More forbidden maybe? However, they were aware of the obvious stumbling block. They didn’t want it to become common knowledge. I need more time to think about it and to discuss it with you, of course, so I put it off until after the first of the year.”

Again, Javi was silent and Kurt allowed it. This was a major step for them. This was something he hadn’t tried with Tonio. Sure, it was something he’d thought about and read about. When you tried to maintain a strong sexual bond through fantasy you often needed more than just your own imagination. And in that research he’d discovered that there truly was nothing new under the sun. Consensual voyeurism was a very common fantasy, but not everyone was comfortable enough to actually attempt it in a monogamous relationship. “Well, we have alot of time to think about it then,” he said, returning his thoughts to the moment.

“Yeah, I mean even though it started out as my fantasy….obviously you and everyone else involved has to be comfortable with it and trust is definitely a huge issue in this case. Always going back to the foundation, aren’t we?” He queried referring to one of the cornerstones of Foundational Cake Baking*** CHAPTER 20 FOUNDATIONAL CAKE BAKING 101 – KLAINE BASED FAN FICTION (klaine-based-fan-fiction.com)

“Always, mi amor, always,” Javi smiled into the phone. Changing the subject he said, “I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon around 2 I think. Is everything in order for the party?” knowing it was a silly question. Kurt was the king, queen…..hell! the entire court! of organization and control. “Yep! All nine-hundred and ninety-nine boxes of ornaments are sitting in the living room and all the trees are up, thanks to Adam and Ethan.” “Quit exaggerating, there are only nine-hundred and ninety-seven boxes…even counting your single box from Lima. How can you have only one box of Christmas ornaments? There’s something very unhealthy about that.”

The smell of pine was almost overpowering as Javi quietly opened the front door. He didn’t enter immediately. Instinctively, he employed his five senses, in his quest to absorb “home.” Already he could sense his life slowing down. Soothing Christmas hymns softly echoed drawing his attention to the deep red and green of mistletoe dotting the entryways to the kitchen, the media room and the living room. He could almost taste the Enchilada Stack simmering in the crock pot.

Leaning against the wall, he turned his chocolate eyes to the four-letter word that seamlessly meshed with “home,” Kurt. There he was perched on a chair, notebooks, pens and pencils surrounding his laptop, fingers clicking away, engrossed in writing. His dark ginger hair was tousled, making him look younger than his twenty-something years and he was dressed in one of Javi’s favorite shirts, an earring with the letter J dangling from one ear, twinkling with the slightest movement of his head. Javi’s heart flipped; he’d missed this far more than he’d realized.

“Some Christmastime inspiration, Kurtito?” Kurt swung around with a smile, “Wow! Guess I’m going to have to start double locking the doors. I didn’t even hear you come in!”

Kurt stood up, burying his smile in Javi’s neck as he took him into his waiting arms, Javi’s suitcase thudding to the floor as he returned the bear hug. “Two whole weeks, Javito,” Kurt whispered, rubbing his nose against Javi’s. Kurt was rewarded for his words with that low, sexy laugh he adored, as Javi slipped out of his jacket, allowing it to join his suitcase.

Cradling Kurt’s face in his hands, he couldn’t look away from those kaleidoscope eyes, first green, then blue, then gray…..it was mesmerizing. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you like this? Here in San Diego? In this house?” Kurt nodded wordlessly, brushing his lips against Javi’s ever so lightly. The warmth of their breath slowly simmered, turning into a fire, as bit by bit the brush became a flurry of …strokes…and then….a deepening massage….and then….a proposition…….and finally….an explosion of inquisitive tongues. Javi was barely aware of his surroundings until he felt his back thump against the refrigerator door.

“Not here….” he murmured against Kurt’s exploring lips. “Why not….” Apparently, Kurt didn’t need an answer as his kisses hiked along Javi’s jawline. Javi had already decided where almost as soon as he walked in the door and glanced at the mistletoe hanging over the living room entryway; something else had caught his eye as well.

“God Kurt….stop….” he breathed….”stop…” “You don’t want me to stop….I can hear it in your v….” “No….take my hand…” Kurt released a frustrated sigh, allowing Javi to take his hand, leading him into the living room. Plastic tubs filled with decorations were stacked three deep and covered every chair including the extra-long couch. Strings of lights, every color, shape and size lay in the four corners, and right in the middle of the room was a tall, messy hill of tinsel.

“This is better than the kitchen?” Kurt sounded slightly irritated, completely caught off guard when Javi shoved him down into the heap of tinsel, “Uh-huh, siiiiii….let me show you, mi Christmas kitten…..” “But…” “Shhhhh,” he said as he slipped to the floor, sprinkling some loose tinsel over Kurt’s face, “I’ve been waiting all week to come home and decorate! Don’t you think starting with you is a good idea? I’ve been told I’m really good at it because I pay sooooo much attention to detail….”

Javi’s wicked laughter filled the room as he pulled Kurt’s shirt over his head. Kurt knew he wasn’t going to win and by now he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He could honestly say he’d never done this on a pile of tinsel. Tossing the shirt aside, he took Javi’s caramel-colored face into his hands, pulling him down on top of him. “And who told you that? Shouldn’t I be the judge if I’m going to play the role of the tree?”

Suddenly serious, Javi captured Kurt’s eyes again and purred “I love you to pieces….I’ve missed you so much,” seeking and finding the wet warmth of his mouth, the rustle of collapsing tinsel surrounding them. What he really meant was that he missed doing this here, in their home in San Diego. Their messy living room had never been such a turn-on! All that tinsel, so slippery – how had he managed to acquire so much tinsel? And why did he care?

Javi gently rolled off of Kurt’s body, running his fingers through his thick hair, drawing him closer. Kurt responded to the hungering lips that covered his own. A low moan escaped them as he slipped his hands underneath Javi’s shirt, not even bothering with the buttons he was so eager to touch him. He felt himself getting hard when only minutes ago he’d been sitting at the kitchen table engrossed in yet another lesson plan. Tweaking one of Javi’s erect nipples between his fingertips, he was gratified by the sharp intake of breath and then a sigh as Javi responded, pulling Kurt even closer until they were almost flat against each other’s bodies.

Breaking the greedy kiss, Kurt whispered breathlessly, “Te amo demasiado….(I love you so much)” Javi half smiled, showing just a trace of his dimples, as his eyes snapped open.

“Then show me….show me how mu…” Kurt’s tongue halted his devilish voice. He loved it when Kurt turned his words of love into Spanish. Sometimes it was like hearing the precious phrases for the first time all over again.

With a single hand, Kurt hurriedly marched his fingers down Javi’s torso, unbuttoning his shirt, then grabbing the end of a rope of tinsel, playing it over his chest and belly.

His hand was like a magnet, creeping over Javi’s form-fitting jeans, outlining his hard-on with his fingers, half-giggling, “Is this for me?” “All yours…” he heard Javi’s soft, distracted voice murmur, as he pushed Kurt’s hand to the button on his blue jeans. “Oh, no, no….not yet, mi amor.” Kurt murmured against Javi’s lips. “I think you might like some of this…” his tongue tickling a nipple, “or maybe some of this….” nibbling his way over the skin of his exposed neck, “or this?” lightly circling his navel with a single finger, as his tongue tasted……his lips kissed….his teeth barely nipped, finally joining the finger in its tantalizing dance.

Dangling the end of the rope of tinsel across his belly, finally concentrating on his vulnerable navel, he felt Javi grasp his arm. Then slowly, as the tinsel tickled and teased, he lowered his mouth to Javi’s navel, inserting his tongue using it like a tiny prong, moving up…then down…then up…then down over and over…..loving the sound of Javi’s begging yeses, his hips heaving upward. Then changing course and circling the inside rim of his navel, he slid his hand back to the metal button. His fingers flicked the button open…..then unzzzzziiiiipppppped until his hand had room to reach for the cloth covering Javi’s warm, hard cock, lightly scraping his fingernails over the thin piece of fabric.

“God Kurt you’re driving me crazy….” he mumbled, as Kurt teased with his fingers, focusing even more on his navel, increasing, then decreasing the pressure of his tongue, waiting for just the right moment.

The torture was exquisite! He knew what Kurt was waiting for. He knew he could end this whenever he wanted. But the connect between his mind and the rest of his body was all but broken……..I can’t….take…this….anymore….his body all but shrieked!

“Now…..now….please…..,” That was all Kurt needed to hear, as he smiled to himself, slipping his hand under the waistband of Javi’s bikini underwear, grasping his entire package, while at the same time, driving his tongue into Javi’s navel as far and as fast as it would go, his lips and tongue forming a vacuum, sucking and probing. “Ohgod…..yes….ohmygod…..” Javi rasped, his head turning from side to side, as Kurt tightened his fingers around his hardness.

Without thought, Javi roughly reached for Kurt’s body, drawing him upwards to face him on the pile of tinsel. His eyes were the color of coal as he pushed his jeans down in frustration, then reached for Kurt’s sweats and slid them down just enough to reveal his own state of readiness.

“I can’t wait to feel you come…..” he said as he took both of them into his hand, watching Kurt’s eyes close, studying his face as the rhythm caused Kurt to murmur nonsense words alongside real ones, thoroughly engrossed in the movement of Javi’s hand over their stiff pricks.

The tinsel below them slipped and slid sometimes in rhythm and sometimes against it, but it was a sensation like nothing Kurt had ever felt. The rope of tinsel he’d pulled from the pile was tangled around Javi’s waist, the end of it smashed between their bodies as Kurt’s mind closed the gap of his focus – Javi’s hand and cock against his own, taking him higher and higher.

In a ragged moan, Kurt said, “You’re about to get your wish…..yes…..ohnownow……” Javi didn’t so much hear the words as felt them…..the cum slick on his hand….trickling…..yessssss…..just the right amount of friction…..just right…..perfect…..nnnnooowwwww……

Their heavy breathing slowed and Kurt opened his eyes, “Sometimes I can’t believe how much I love you.” Javi kissed a finger and tapped it on the tip of Kurt’s nose, smiling as they lay face to face on the pile of tinsel glimmering around them, quietly coming back to Earth, simply enjoying each other’s company on the floor. “Two whole weeks, Kurtito…..” Javi whispered with delight. Kurt nodded with a smile, “Right here at home. You miss it too, don’t you?” Somewhat reluctantly Javi said, “Yeah, I really do. I never missed this place so much until you were here to come home to.”

The floor was starting to feel hard but neither of them wanted to get up. So, they lay in the tinsel, sprinkling loose pieces of silver over each other, playing one of their precious hours away.

“How’s the writing going?” Javi asked offhandedly. Kurt leaned in and gave him a soft tender kiss on the lips, “Let’s talk about something else….like the party or what presents we’ve bought or….I don’t know, anything but work, at least until after Christmas…..deal?”

That was a fantastic idea! And it might just test how committed he was to continuing with the play. He wouldn’t be doing it if he didn’t love it, but….he loved doing alot of things. Sometimes he missed songwriting. Sometimes he missed the excitement of the road, playing in different places to different audiences….even though he was singing many of the same songs and even though he may have been to that venue a hundred times, it was always a little different.

“Deal! But what about you? Aren’t you going to write while I’m off? And what about your classes?”

“Nope! No writing! No notebooks, pens, pencils….as Alice Cooper would say School’s Out for Summer. When you walked through the door, I turned in my books, picked up my report card, excellent grades of course, and relinquished my desk to someone else.”

“I was only finishing up a chapter and jotting down some notes when you walked in. The only concession to that is if I get an idea. I’ll write it down, but that’s it. And I’ve suspended classes until after the new year. Even my students need a break….and I mean a real break, not a fantasy one,” Kurt chuckled.