A/N: I AM ONLY A DAY LATE, GUYS. 8) Anyway, this story can stand on its own, I'm pretty sure. But for those of you who have read my other stories, you will recognize Ethan and Xuan--and the other couple.

*

Xuan liked Ethan's voice, the husky tenor that filled the house whenever Ethan came by to visit him. Lynn said that Ethan never sang much before he started dating Xuan, but Xuan couldn't imagine Ethan not singing, not humming songs as he did homework. Ethan was the only music in Xuan's life, because Xuan preferred his voice to drums, guitars, even pianos. Ethan knew how softly to sing when Xuan was doing homework, what songs would fit the occasion. Xuan could even tell what time of year it was by the songs Ethan sang, because when their first Christmas together drew near, Ethan began singing Christmas songs. Their lyrics floated up the driveway whenever Ethan came to his house: In the meadow we will build a snowman/We'll pretend that he is Parson Brown--"

Xuan's dad liked Ethan. 'It's a big house, for just the two of us," he said to Xuan once. "Ethan makes it feel a little smaller."

Xuan liked Ethan, too--a lot. Sometimes he thought of the words "I love you," but he didn't say them out loud. Actions were slightly easier, actions like kissing Ethan, holding hands with him, agreeing to buy a Christmas tree with him, and to decorate it--even though Xuan had never done so before. He'd lived with his grandparents for all his previous Christmases, and they'd never bought him presents, let alone Christmas trees.

Ethan took him to a tree lot. "My parents and I used to come here," Ethan said. "When I was little, before the divorce."

Xuan looked around, at all the trees, a bristling wall of green. The scent of pine was sharp, clear in the cold air. He breathed deeply, said, "We should get a good one, then, and decorate it the way you used to."

"It won't be the same," Ethan said. He smiled. "It'll be more fabulous."

Xuan rolled his eyes, but he let Ethan grab his hand and pull him into the rows of trees. The pine scent was stronger now, a little heady, and as Ethan began singing, "Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree," Xuan said a little prayer--it wouldn't be a bad thing, to ask for this moment to last as long as possible.

*

Patrick didn’t know how Oliver found time to visit him, when their college campuses were a thirty-minute ride apart. He also didn't know how they were still together--still happy--after a year, considering their penchant for beating each other up. But he wasn't complaining, since Oliver was always enthusiastic when he saw him--enthusiastic enough for Patrick's roommate to kick Patrick's door and yell, "Can you two keep it down?! I don't need to hear you having sex."

Patrick laughed into Oliver's neck, and punched his shoulder when they were done. "Next time, we're going to your dorm."

"No," Oliver said. "My roommate is not as understanding as Wes. He would probably, I don't know, knock the door down."

"And drag us apart?"

"More or less."

"Well, he can try, and we can kick his ass."

Oliver threw an arm around Patrick. "Beating people up is not the solution to everything, Patrick."

"Nope, but it makes me feel better." Patrick rolled over, straddling Oliver. "Anyway, it's not like you haven't punched people in the face before as a solution."

"Yeah, well, it works with you."

"You're a shitty boyfriend."

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, tracing circles on Patrick's stomach. "Can I make it up to you?"

"Well, you could come to my art exhibition on Christmas Eve."

"Where's it at? The train tracks?" Oliver was half-serious. Patrick's art was graffiti, on buildings and trains, on the landscape of the city.

"No, you asshole. In an actual building. Well, it's kind of on the building. But it's a legit exhibit, and you should come and be a supportive boyfriend or whatever."

"But I'm a shitty boyfriend."

"So make up for it." Patrick paused. "I'll give you your present if you do."

"You bought me a present?" Oliver asked, surprised.

"Made," Patrick said. "I'm a marginally better boyfriend than you."

Oliver smiled and pulled Patrick down for a kiss. "I'll go," he said. "For you."

Patrick snorted. "Of course--who else would you go for?"

*

The Christmas tree that Ethan and Xuan bought wasn't very big, but Xuan was as excited about it as a five year-old. He stared at the box of decorations that Ethan brought out of his garage, sorting through it and brushing the dust off the bright globes and angels. They'd set up the tree in Ethan's living room, because that was where the Christmas party was going to be.

"When was the last time you used these?" Xuan asked. He straightened out the robe of the angel he was holding.

"I don't know," Ethan said. "Years, I guess. You look so excited. It's cute."

Xuan blushed. "I've just--I've never decorated a Christmas tree before. This is all new to me."

Ethan kissed Xuan gently, wrapping his arms around him. "Let's put up the decorations together, then. You can put the star on top." He grinned.

Xuan smiled, holding up a bright red globe. "Let's start with this," he said, turning over to the tree and hanging it on one of the lower branches.

Ethan sat back, leaning on his arms. "I'll just watch you for now." He chuckled. "This is really cute."

Xuan scowled. "Come here and help me, jerk."

"You can hang the ornaments up on your own, can't you?"

"Yes, but I--I want you to do it with me!" Xuan picked up another ornament, a small, glittering star. "I want us…to decorate this tree together."

Ethan was quiet for a moment, and then he got up and walked over to Xuan. Kissing him on the forehead, he murmured, "Okay then. Let's decorate this tree together." He took the star from Xuan and hung it next to the globe. "Although I have to warn you, I have pretty bad taste when it comes to ornaments and making things look pretty."

"That's all right," Xuan said, smiling. "I'm used to your bad taste."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, considering all the terrible colors you used to dye your hair…"

"You never even saw them!"

"Lynn told me about them. And she has pictures."

Ethan groaned. "I can't believe she showed them to you."

"It's all right. I'm glad I knew you when you had red hair. I don't think I would have talked to you when it was purple."

"I guess Purple Haired Freak doesn't have quite the same ring as Orange Haired Freak, does it?"

Xuan laughed a little. "No," he said. "No, it doesn't."

Ethan and Xuan took most of the afternoon putting up the ornaments, mostly because Xuan became obsessed with finding the perfect spot for every ornament (and also because Ethan had a slightly distracting inability to keep his hands off Xuan whenever he became extremely intent on something). Xuan was just putting up the star when Ethan's phone rang. It was Lynn, Ethan's best friend.

"Hey Ethan," she said. "I was just thinking, we should hang out tomorrow, Christmas Eve."

"And by 'we,' do you mean just you and me?" Ethan asked, smiling as Xuan balanced himself on a stool so he could place the star on top of the Christmas tree.

"By 'we,' I mean me, you, Xuan, and Todd. We could go on a double date."

"One straight couple and one gay couple. I see, it balances out perfectly."

"Yes, and of course I was thinking about balancing out the range of sexuality when I invited you out on a double date."

Ethan chuckled. "What did you have in mind?"

"We should go see a movie. There are some cute ones coming out tomorrow!"

"Hold on. Let me ask Xuan." Ethan held the phone away from his ear. "Xuan, Lynn says we should go on a double date with her and Todd tomorrow. We could go see a movie." He asked Lynn, "What movies are there?"

Lynn ran some movies by Ethan, who relayed them to Xuan. Xuan pursed his lips, sitting down on the stool. "We could…see the one about the dog," he said finally.

"Xuan says he thinks the one with the dog is cute," Ethan said, earning himself a glare from Xuan.

"Oh, that's great. I wanted to see that one, anyway."

"Does Todd?"

"I'm sure he'll warm up to the idea."

After settling the time and place, Ethan hung up and smiled at Xuan, patting the spot next to him. Xuan got off the stool. He sat next to Ethan, leaning his head on Ethan's shoulder. "I think we did a good job with the tree," Ethan said. "It looks…pretty."

"No thanks to you."

"Hey, I already told you that my decorating skills were lacking." Ethan kissed Xuan, and Xuan wanted to say something, to say "I love you." But the words wouldn't leave his throat, so he settled into the kiss instead, leaning in closer to Ethan's warmth.

*

Patrick didn't really care what other people thought about him, so he wasn't worried about the protestors who gathered outside the building where his exhibit was on Christmas Eve. They were holding signs like, "Jesus doesn't want faggots on his birthday," and chanting, "Take your trash away," but Patrick just strolled through the gallery, occasionally glancing out the window at the protestors.

Oliver was already there with him, looking at the walls, where Patrick had painted and drawn his familiar, distorted figures. The theme for this exhibit was much gentler than Patrick's usual work--he'd drawn half angels, the nephilim of legend, living in an urban city. They were gray, sad figures, really, relegated to the sidelines of life. But in the last scene, where a group of them gathered around a table, there were smiles on their faded faces, and their hands were laced together. Patrick had used lighter colors for this scene, and it had a glow to it that the others lacked.

"You're not bothered by all those people, are you?" Oliver asked, gesturing out the window.

"Unless they storm the building with pitchforks and torches, nope. They can stand out there and chant all they want."

"I can't believe that they found out about this showing, let alone that you're gay. This exhibit was barely even advertised."

"You've always got those diehards who latch onto the smallest event and make a big show out of it. Anyway, they probably talked to a couple of people who knew me. It's not so hard to find out."

Oliver sighed. "This is so fucking ridiculous. You'd think they'd find better things to do on Christmas Eve."

Patrick wrapped an arm around Oliver and, in full sight of the windows, kissed him. Oliver responded without hesitation, pulling Patrick closer to him and nibbling on his lower lip. Patrick didn't pull away for long moments. When they finally parted, his face was slightly flushed, and his lips were parted. "Well," he said. "I think I could find better things to do, when we get back to the dorm."

"Not afraid of keeping Wes up?"

"He'll probably be at some party. You should stay the night, so I can give you your Christmas present in the morning."

"Okay." Oliver brushed some of Patrick's hair out of his eyes. It was a gentle gesture, and Patrick's breath caught in his throat for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and the moment passed as a shout of, "Faggots go to hell!" echoed into the gallery. "Jackasses," Oliver said, scowling. "I should go out there and beat some of them up."

Patrick laughed. "You take the ones on the left, I take the ones on the right, and together we'll take care of all of them?"

"Sounds good to me."

Patrick hesitated, then hugged Oliver tightly. He kissed the corner of his mouth. "But it's pretty cold outside, so I'd rather just stay in here, with you."

"Too bad, I was looking forward to breaking some noses."

"You can do that when we go home."

"I can settle for that," Oliver murmured, wrapping his arms around Patrick and stroking his lower back. The chants outside grew louder--they were still in full view of the window--but as Patrick leaned in to kiss Oliver again, another sound cut through the chants. It was singing.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful/But the fire is so delightful/And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

As Patrick and Oliver strained to see outside the window, the singing grew louder. Finally, they managed to make out what was going on: someone was standing on the fountain outside the building, head thrown back, singing at the top of his voice. The chanting slowed a little, lowering in volume as the voice grew stronger. Oliver and Patrick glanced at each other, puzzled, then grinning as the singing cut right through the chanting, and more voices joined in:

"When we finally kiss goodnight/How I'll hate going out in the storm/But if you really hold me tight/All the way home I'll be warm!"

*

Ethan and Xuan went to see the movie at The Center, an outdoor mall. The movie was cute, and Xuan had a good time. Ethan held his hand, in the dark of the theater, and when they walked outside the air smelled like pine trees.

"Let's go see the huge Christmas tree next to the fountain," Lynn said, swinging Todd's hand back and forth.

They all set out towards the fountain, but as they drew nearer, they could hear loud voices. "Maybe they're Christmas carolers," Todd said, but he sounded doubtful, and for good reason. The voices were hardly singing Christmas songs.

"Faggots go to hell!"

"Take your trash away!"

"What the hell is going on?" Lynn asked, frowning as they rounded the corner and saw the protest in front of an art gallery. Lynn walked over to a man who was watching the protestors. "Hey, do you know what they're protesting here?"

The man glanced over at her. "There's an art exhibit in there," he said. "Some artist named Patrick Rose. He's a--I guess you'd call him a street artist. He does graffiti. And I guess he's gay." The man shrugged. "It's a waste of time. I went in there to look at the art, and I saw him. He's unfazed by this whole thing."

Lynn talked briefly to some of the protestors. When she walked back to Ethan, Xuan, and Todd, she looked furious. Xuan frowned. "Is she okay?" he murmured to Ethan.

"This is so ridiculous," Lynn fumed, once she was within earshot. "They're protesting the exhibit because it's graffiti and because the artist is gay."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "On Christmas Eve? Way to dampen the spirit."

"Jesus doesn't want faggots on his birthday!"

Xuan winced. Raised by strict Catholic grandparents, he still felt sensitive about the religion-based opposition to homosexuality. "I think we should go now," he said quietly.

Ethan wrapped an arm around him, and he tensed. Sighing, Ethan let go.

Lynn was still angry. "I can't believe they're doing this. This is just--why would you bring so much hate into a season that's supposed to be happy?"

"It's their belief," Todd said uneasily.

"Right, and that means that they have a right to shove it into other people's faces," Ethan retorted. He glanced over at the building, scowling.

Something in Xuan sank. It had been a while since he'd seen Ethan scowling like that, a while since he'd seen an expression on Ethan's face full of pure and simple anger. "Ethan," he started to say. He reached out, to touch Ethan, but Ethan was already moving away.

"Where's he going?" Todd asked. He still looked chastised by Ethan's retort.

"I don't know…" Lynn frowned. "Oh god, I hope he doesn't punch anyone." Xuan remembered what Lynn had told him, that Ethan used to get into a lot of fights before his senior year in high school, when he met Xuan.

To everyone's relief, Ethan didn't punch anyone. He didn't even head towards the protestors. Instead, he marched over to the fountain and climbed onto the edge. Xuan had no idea what he was planning, until he took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and started singing.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful/But the fire is so delightful/And since we've no place to go/Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

He sang the song through once, and Xuan couldn't do anything but stand there and stare at him. They were in public, chants providing the background music, and Ethan's voice had the same effect on Xuan that it always did: soothing, calming, like a warm coat thrown over him. Some of the sick, hurt feeling that the chants had caused him eased.

Lynn hooted and clapped her hands when Ethan finished singing. "Encore!" she shouted.

"We can do a duet!" Ethan shouted back at her, and she ran over to the fountain. Jumping onto the edge, she stood next to Ethan, and soon they were both singing the song again.

"When we finally kiss goodnight/How I'll hate going out in the storm/But if you really hold me tight/All the way home I'll be warm!"

Lynn's voice was higher than Ethan's, a little shakier. Still, she sang with her head back, just like Ethan, and was as loud as him. Xuan glanced over at Todd. He was staring at Lynn, with a look on his face that Xuan thought looked familiar. Sometimes Ethan looked at him like that, when he thought Xuan wasn't paying attention. It was an intense look, a concentrated one, like there was nothing except Xuan. Xuan had never understood that look, but he thought he did now, when Todd started walking towards the fountain as well. As Xuan watched, he climbed onto the edge, wrapped his arms around Lynn, and kissed her.

Ethan's voice continued on its own. There was a hint of laughter in it, as he turned to look at Lynn and Todd, who continued kissing as if nobody else was there. Then he looked at Xuan, eyes locking on his as the song ended and he continued onto the next one without a break.

"Sleigh bells ring/Are you listening?/In the lane, snow is glistening/A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight/Walking in a winter wonderland."

And slowly, without really thinking, listening only to Ethan's voice, Xuan started walking towards him.

*

"Huh," Patrick said, when he'd walked over to the door and gotten a better look at the guy who'd first started singing. "He's pretty hot."

The protestors had continued their chanting, once they'd gotten over the initial shock of the singing, but Patrick ignored them. The singer had a good voice--a really good one, strong and warm.

Oliver joined Patrick at the door. He wrapped an arm around him, and Patrick could hear him humming along. "I think he's taken," he pointed out, nodding at another man, who stood watching the singer.

Even from this distance, Patrick could see how intently the man was looking at the singer. With a jolt of familiarity, he recognized the posture, the intensity--not because he'd seen it, but because he'd felt that way before, when he looked at Oliver. Patrick leaned against Oliver and said, "I have a feeling he's going to sing until these guys shut up--and when they do, we should go home. Together."

Oliver kissed Patrick. "So you can give me my Christmas present in the morning?"

"Yeah," Patrick said. "So I can give you your Christmas present in the morning."

*

It was like a chain reaction. Once Xuan had joined Ethan, touched him on the shoulder and started singing with him, more people began joining in. They were all just passerby, shoppers who stopped to look at the four people singing on the fountain's edge. Some of them stopped to listen, and slowly, some of them began to join in.

Ethan noticed, and when he'd finished singing Deck the Halls, he looked at the small crowd that had gathered in front of the fountain and said, "What do you think we should sing next, guys?"

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!" someone shouted.

"Last Christmas!"

"Let's sing something happy," Lynn said, laughing. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"

"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer/Had a very shiny nose/And if you ever saw it/You would even say it glows."

The crowd grew, and the voices got louder than the protestors' chanting. People who didn't even know what the singing was for stopped and joined in, and Xuan couldn't quite believe it--that people would stop and join in something so simple as singing, surrounded by strangers on Christmas Eve. Without knowing it, he smiled brightly. The expression changed his face, drawing attention away from his too-thin angles and making people take notice.

Xuan had never done this before, just like he'd never decorated a Christmas tree. It was new, singing in front of a crowd of strangers, facing the backs of people who carried signs saying, "God Abhors You." He closed his eyes so he couldn't see those signs. He tried to block out the chanting, too, but it didn't work as well--until it began to fade, drowned out by the singing . Opening his eyes, Xuan saw that the protestors had actually fallen silent, with only a few people waving their signs in half-hearted efforts to keep it up.

"Then one foggy Christmas Eve/Santa came to say/'Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?'""

The singing didn't stop until the protestors had fallen completely silent. Even then, Ethan continued singing, by himself again, and people kept listening.

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling/Though your nose gets a chilling/We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way/walking in a winter wonderland."

When the last notes had faded away, the people started clapping, cheering for Ethan. He was standing so close to Xuan. Their hands were barely brushing, and finally, Xuan wrapped an arm around him, resting his cheek on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan's lips brushed across the top of Xuan's head. "Merry Christmas," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas," Xuan murmured, and flushed in embarrassment when Ethan kissed him on the lips.

Lynn, Todd, and everyone watching, applauded even more loudly.

*

Oliver and Patrick clapped, too, as they walked out of the art gallery. Patrick grinned at all the silent protestors, resisting the urge to give them the finger. "Merry Christmas," he said instead.

"Have a happy New Year's," Oliver added charitably.

As they passed by the fountain, where the singer and his boyfriend were kissing, Patrick hooted. "Thanks for the concert!" he shouted, saluting the two of them.

The singer pulled away, grinned, returned the salute. "No problem, man. Any time."

"Merry Christmas," Patrick said, and waved once last time at the singer as Oliver threw an arm around his shoulder and started walking away.

The shout followed him as he walked away: "Merry Christmas! Stick with what you love, yeah?"

*

On Christmas morning, Xuan woke up in Ethan's bed. At first, he didn't remember why he was there. But it all came back to him eventually: after coming home from the movies, he had been exhausted, and Ethan had offered to let him sleep over. After all, the Christmas party was at his house, and all their presents were under the Christmas tree.

Ethan stirred a little. "Is it morning?" he mumbled, burying his face in the pillow.

"Yes," Xuan said. He stroked Ethan's hair.

"We should open presents. Soon. When I'm more awake."

Xuan chuckled. After a moment, he leaned in close to Ethan. An early Christmas present, he thought. Something he'd been meaning to say for a long time. Kissing the top of Ethan's ear, he said, "Ethan, I--" He paused, breathing in deeply. "I love you," he finally said. "I love you."

Ethan's eyes opened. He stared at Xuan for a moment, the same look that Todd had given Lynn, the same look that Ethan had given Xuan so many times before. Reaching out, he curled a hand around the back of Xuan's head, pulling him down for a kiss. It was sloppy, hard, and both of them had morning breath--it was perfect.

When they pulled away, Ethan rested his forehead against Xuan's and whispered, "I love you, too. Merry Christmas, Xuan."

It was perfect. It was more than Xuan had asked for--but there was nothing else he wanted.

*

Patrick didn't ask how he and Oliver were still happy together. He just took the moments as they came, and put them into his art--including the present that he gave Oliver.

It was a painting, a medium that Patrick didn't use often. Still, it was his usual style, with the now-familiar nephilim figures. It was an urban setting, with gray, faceless crowds flooding the streets. Only two figures stood out: the nephilim. They stood at opposite ends of the picture, but they were looking at each other. A red string trailed through the crowds, connecting each of them to each other.

"Thank you," Oliver said, when he got it. He kissed Patrick, pulling Patrick onto his lap.

Patrick straddled Oliver, smiling. "You like it?"

"Yeah." Oliver kissed Patrick's neck. "Need me to show you how much?"

"I think I've got the idea," Patrick said, smiling and running his hands up Oliver's back. He kissed Oliver, gently.

Oliver murmured, "You make me happy."

Patrick's breath caught in his throat again. "Me…too," he said, with some difficulty. "You make me happy, too."

When they kissed again, Patrick thought, "This might not last forever--but it doesn't need to."

*

FIN NOTES:

Ethan and Xuan, and Patrick and Oliver, wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's!