**FRIENDS

THIS IS MY 69TH PUBLISHED CHAPTER

ROUND OF APPLAUSE

Okay. Merry Christmas, babes. Happy holidays, I should say. What do you celebrate? What's your favorite tradition? Slap a comment over there, by the little word bubble with the plus sign. Do it or you'll get coal for Christmas and I'll be angy >:(

TW: Christmas?**

Text me Merry Christmas,

Let me know you care,

Just a word or two,

a text from you

will remind me you're still there...

     Kristen Bell's ingenue tones backed up by Straight No Chaser's dulcet vocals warmed the inside air. A fresh layer of snow gently drifted to the ground outside the window, orange light flooding the scene and making everything seem peaceful and quiet for anyone who decided to peek through the glass.

    Roshan Ahmadi and Tremaine Blackbourne's newly bought house already had a cozy feel to it - but that could have been because Roshan hadn't waited to turn their home into the North Pole. He wanted to make his first Christmas with his husband as magical as could be.

     The tree already stood in the corner. Its branches proudly stuck out, as green as the grass after spring melts away all the snow. There were no decorations on the tree quite yet, but that was what Roshan was working on right now.

     "Darling?" Roshan crooned to his husband as he opened the lid to one of the various plastic tubs that were packed into his living room. "Have you seen the box with all the lights in it?"

     Tremaine backed up from setting the tree skirt under the tree. "Which ones are you looking for?" he asked, walking over to the first box he saw and checking inside.

     "The little white stars," Roshan answered, straining as his tiny form struggled to peek into a tub that was stacked on top of another.

     "They're right here, hun," Tremaine said, fishing out a long tangle of star-shaped lights from the box he'd been checking. The normal ones are just too boring! Roshan had fussed during their first Christmas shopping trip, all those years ago when they'd first started dating. We want a pretty tree, an aesthetic tree. As bored as Tremaine had been, the excited grin that Roshan was sporting that day had won him over and so, there they were.

     Roshan seemed to recall the memory too, because his smile turned soft and fond when Tremaine passed him the lights. Their eyes met. "Do you remember-"

     "Oh, how could I forget?" Tremaine chuckled. "We were at the shop damn near all day trying to find the perfect lights."

     Roshan chuckled softly. "I was...kinda passionate about the whole thing."

     "That's for sure," Tremaine nodded. "I swear, I fell in love with you all over again then and there."

     A silent moment settled in between them, sweet and sappy like cream mixing into coffee. It was Roshan who broke the silence. "Well, we certainly didn't buy these for nothing," he said, his blushing smile never leaving his face. "Shall we put them up?"

    Tremaine nodded and helped as Roshan twisted the strands around the tree. Of course, he needed some help as he got to the top of the tree, but soon the lights were plugged in, and...

    "They're perfect," Roshan fawned. He backed up to admire the progress he and Tremaine had made so far. "What about some-"

     "Garland?" Tremaine finished for him. "Yeah, that's right," the taller man purred as he drew long, shimmering streamers of gold from another tub. "I know how you work."

     A smirk crept up a corner of Roshan's lips. "Hey, th-that's gay," he joked, carding a hand through his poufy dark curls, trying to hide the way he was furiously blushing.

    "Who are you kidding? You love it." Tremaine sauntered over to Roshan, quickly drawing them closer together by trapping Roshan between the garland and his own chest. This only proceeded to make Roshan more flustered, which in turn made Tremaine's heart do that weird fluttery thing it had perfected when the couple had first met.

     "'Maaaaaine," Roshan whined, nuzzling into his husband's chest like a shy kitten.

     Tremaine chuckled, kissing the wild curls that topped his husband's head. "You're trapped. There's no escaping. I've got you now," he said, feigning an evil laugh.

     "This tree won't decorate itself, you cheeky bastard," Roshan countered, looking up at Tremaine. "But you're right." He pecked his lips gently. "I do love it."

     "M-hm," Tremaine smirked, pulling the garland away so as to free his husband.

~

      "Aaaaand...there."

     The angel had just been placed on top of their tree. Tremaine backed up to admire the view, wrapping an arm around Roshan's waist. "It's perfect."

    Roshan nodded. "Yeah, it is." He snuggled into his lover's side. "This is perfect."

     "It is," Tremaine agreed gently.

"Merry Christmas, Roshan."

    "Merry Christmas, Tremaine."