All I Want For Christmas

by truntelinda

Karl couldn´t really believe he was going to do this. He blushed just thinking about it. He´s a grown man for Christ´s sake, this wasn´t something that grown men do. But...it felt right. And he couldn´t think of another way to say what he had to say without complicating things. Karl was never good with words.

As he stood outside the door of Harry´s house, Karl silently gave thanks to God for the fact of it being summertime at Christmas in New Zealand. Otherwise, he might have been a bit cold standing there in only jeans and a thin jacket. Well...and something more. Jeez, now he was blushing again.

A year ago, he hadn´t even known who Harry Sinclair was. He hadn´t known any of the people he knew now, but Harry was the only one who really mattered to him. He cared for the others, of course he did, but Harry...He loved Harry. From the second he looked into those amazing hazel eyes. Apparantly, and to Karl´s utter happiness, the feeling had been mutual.

Now they had been dating for a while, a couple of months, and Karl laughed quietly as he waited outside the door at the memory of the first time they went out. Their first date had been disastrous. And absolutely wonderful.

They had decided to go out and just have a simple dinner at a simple restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant had been just a little bit too simple, which they´d realized a couple of hours later, on the steps to Karl´s front door. Just as they were about to kiss goodnight, a certain rumbling in Harry´s stomach had put a stop to the romance. Two minutes later he had been hanging over the toilet in Karl´s bathroom, with Karl kneeling in the shower, both of them expelling the - apparantly bad - shrimp they had eaten from their bodies. Afterwards they had literally crawled into bed, held each other all night through, and every now and then whispered sweet little words of comfort and affection. Karl would never forget what Harry had said when he had turned his head to the window and seen dawn breaking.

"Talk about a bad first date...definitely the best one I´ve ever had."

Karl had smiled and kissed Harry´s temple and said,

"Me, too."

Karl smiled fondly at the memory, absently picking at the thing he was wearing under his jacket. God, he was so nervous. But if he didn´t go in now, he probably never would, so before he had time to doubt again, he banged loudly on the hard wood of the door, even startling himself a little bit. A slight quivering took over his hands as Harry´s steps could be heard from inside, coming closer and closer, and advanced to full out shaking when the door creaked open and the object of his affection peeked through it.

"Karl...? I thought you were going home for Christmas...?"

That was true, Karl was supposed to have gone home to spend the holidays with his family, like he always did. This year was different, though. This year he had more important people on his mind.

"Uhm...well, I, well, I...I mean, I...I decided not to stay. I mean go!! I decided to stay. Go. No, stay, I mean!!" he stammered, adding a few muttered curses. The older man offered a surprised laugh and swung the door open.

"You should have told me. I would have made us dinner or something..." Harry said and gestured for Karl to come in.

"I didn´t know I was going to stay until this morning..." Karl stated, half to himself, hiding his disobediant hands behind his back and making to go inside, only to be stopped by Harry´s strong arms after a couple of steps.

"I´m glad you´re here, though." Harry whispered against Karl´s flushed cheek before capturing his lips in a soft kiss.

Through the lovely haze that always came with being kissed by the one you love, Karl thought that this should actually calm him down. Kisses meant affection, right? Then why was he even more giddy now?

"I´m afraid I don´t have much to offer as Christmas dinner...I can heat something up if you want," Harry said as he relented his hold on the other man and walked into the kitchen, and looking in the fridge he continued, chuckling, "Pizza or Chinese? Never thought I´d be having pizza at Christmas, but what the hell. Sometime´s gotta be the first. What do you say, love?"

"Never mind about the food! Just get back here, I need to tell you something!!" Karl snapped, just as surprised as Harry at the harsh tone he was using. He could really use a drink.

"Sure... Something wrong?" Harry looked worried as he went back into the hallway to face his lover.

"No, everything´s fine. I´m sorry...I just need to do this thing...for you...and me, I guess," Karl answered, straining his voice to keep it from shaking just as much as his hands.

"Okay. Why don´t you take off your jacket and we´ll sit down and you can tell me what´s on your mind," the older man said calmly, turning towards the living room.

"No!!! I mean...yeah, but, no...because..."

Damn! Karl sighed. This not being able to form coherent sentences was really starting to bug him. He slowly began to open his coat, but when the last button was undone, he firmly held it closed with embarrassingly shuddering hands as if he had the most precious thing in the world inside. It all earned him a questioning look from Harry who couldn´t really help but almost giggle.

"What are you hiding, Karl?" Harry smiled, nodding his head towards Karl´s chest. The younger man raised his head with what he hoped was a determined and firm look in his eyes and then he did it. In one swift motion, he had the jacket off and beside him on the floor.

Harry´s eyes dropped once again to Karl´s, now bare, chest. Well, almost bare, and he raised an amused eyebrow. Right then was the moment that Karl decided that this hadn´t been a very good idea after all. He felt like a silly little teenager and he was too mortified to meet Harry´s gaze. The room was way too quiet for way too long. Just when Karl was about to bolt, he felt warm arms around him and soft lips on his forehead.

"Does this mean you´re mine forever...or only for the holidays?" Harry asked, tugging at one end of the pretty red bow that decorated his love´s strong chest.

"This is so...fuck, I feel so stupid!!" Karl sighed and buried his head in Harry´s neck.

"No!! No, don´t feel stupid, honey!! This is so sweet!!" The older man couldn´t help a chuckle. "Corny, but sweet...this is by far the best Christmas gift I´ve ever gotten. I love you so much."

"You love me??" The question was breathed out incredulously. "But that´s what I came here to tell you!! I love you!! So much, and I was so nervous that you´d hate me or turn me away or laugh and I just can´t believe you said that, that you love me and now I´m babbling and you..."

Karl´s rambling was interrupted my Harry´s lips pressing gently against his. The kiss seemed to last for an eternity, tongues tangling and souls melting together, giving Karl all his self-confidence back. And it left him absolutely breathless.

"Wow...you´ve never kissed me like that before," he managed a few seconds after it had ended. Harry shrugged smugly and pointed upwards.

"Mistletoe," was all he said, flashing a cheeky smile at his lover.

"Oh." Karl´s voice was little. Then he reached up, took the mistletoe down and twisted out of Harry´s arms, walking away. Harry looked after him, surprised.

"What´re you doing?" he asked as the man he loved disappeared behind the bedroom door. Karl peeked around the corner, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I´m just going to hang this thing over your bed."

 

End