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Loveology Advent Calendar

Chapter 5: Kiss-ology

Summary:

Christmas morning, before the world wakes up.

Chapter Text

The first thing he’s aware of is the warmth. Cozy under layers of blankets, the weight of Finn’s arm slung over his chest. He snuggles closer, burrowing deeper into the blankets, and lets out a satisfied sigh.

It’s different, waking up in the same bed as someone else, but the feeling of being held safe pushes away the discomfort in his brain. Finn’s arm wraps tighter around him as the other man shifts, slowly waking, his breath tickling against Poe’s hair.

Finn yawns, stretching out next to him, and Poe looks up as Finn’s eyes blink open, taking in the dimly lit room.

“Morning,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to Poe’s forehead. “Merry Christmas.”

Poe reaches up a warm hand, pressing it against Finn’s t-shirt. “Mmmmah,” he hums in return, grinning.

 

* * *

 

The hallway is dark as they tiptoe across the carpet, bare feet making the softest of sounds. Poe grips Finn’s hand tightly, pulling him along past the closed master bedroom door where his dad is still asleep.

In the living room, light from the rising sun spills through the windows.

They round the corner and there it is, the Christmas tree all lit up with twinkling lights, piles of presents nestled underneath the branches. Even though he’d seen it all last night, something about Christmas morning just makes it more magical, memories of waking up as a child and racing out of bed to stare at the neatly wrapped packages, waiting to see what would be inside.

Poe bounces excitedly on his toes, tugging on Finn’s hands, unable to stop the soft squeal of delight that escapes his lips.

Finn laughs quietly and pulls him further into the living room. “Shhhh!” he whispers, bringing a finger up to his lips but unable to contain a smile. “It’s seven in the morning!”

But Poe is too excited. He can’t wait for them all to start opening presents, for his dad and Finn to see what he’d gotten them. For the first time in his life, he’d been able to keep the gifts a surprise. He’d been able to shop for his dad with Finn’s help, pay for the presents with money that he’d earned himself. He didn’t have to feel bad about needing support through the process, about ruining the surprise. And picking out gifts for Finn had been so exciting, trying to find the perfect things that Finn would really enjoy. The sense of accomplishment, the feeling of independence at being able to surprise someone with a gift, was something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

He drums his fingers excitedly against Finn’s chest.

“Want to open one now?” Finn suggests in a hushed voice.

Poe hesitates, fingers stuttering in their rhythm. That’s not how it usually goes. It almost feels like cheating, opening a present before it’s time. He digs his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants and opens up his AAC app, typing, “Supposed to wait.” He shows it to Finn without tapping the button to speak the words aloud, not sure what the volume is currently set at.

“Yeah, we’ll wait, but this just a little extra gift,” Finn explains. “I just had this sneaking suspicion that we’d be up at the crack of dawn, since you pretty much never sleep in.”

It’s true. Poe is rarely able to sleep late. Once he’s awake, he’s awake, and his body wants to get moving whether he’s tired or not. He knows other people like to, but he just doesn’t know how.

He flaps a hand nervously, unsure whether or not Finn is teasing. Even if he was, Poe knows he wouldn’t do it to be mean, but the uncertainty gets stuck in his mind and he needs to know. Wrong? he signs, looking for clarification.

Finn is quick to shake his head and answer, “Uh-uh, it’s not wrong. Just different. It’s okay that you’re an early bird. But that’s also why I got you an extra present just in case, so we wouldn’t get bored while we’re waiting.”

There’s a good logic to that, and when Poe thinks about it that way, it doesn’t feel so much like cheating anymore. It just feels special, something for just the two of them, something that Finn thought of to make sure he’d be okay. A slow smile creeps across his face at the thought.

He reaches up to tap his own lips and then Finn’s, and gets an enthusiastic kiss in response.

“So…?” Finn asks with a cheeky grin when he pulls away, swinging his and Poe’s clasped hands back and forth as he waits for a reply.

Poe nods with a hesitant smile, and Finn drops his hand to turn and crouch down by the tree, scanning the piles until he finds the right one. While he searches, Poe settles himself sideways on the couch, one foot tucked up under him, and leans against the back cushions. After a minute, Finn gets to his feet and crosses the room, making himself comfortable on the couch next to Poe, and hands him a neatly wrapped square box.

The wrapping paper is printed with brightly colored LEGO blocks, and as Poe takes the box and gently shakes it, he hears a familiar rattling sound coming from inside. His smile gets wider, and he makes a soft sound of joy at the clues to what’s hidden under the paper.

He tears at the paper while Finn looks on in anticipation, and pulls it away to reveal a festive box, containing a small set of LEGO gingerbread people ornaments. He presses his hands against his mouth, trying his best to stay quiet as his body reacts in excitement, rocking back and forth while his hands flap in front of his face, fingers going wild.

“You like it, huh?” Finn says, sounding pleased.

Poe does. He really does. It’s perfect, and he looks up at Finn, managing to calm down just enough to ask, Now?

“Go for it!” Finn urges in a soft voice, gesturing towards the box.

Poe holds it out for Finn to open, not wanting to rip it in his excitement, and Finn does, carefully shaking the contents out onto the coffee table and starting to tear open the small plastic bags that contain all of the pieces. Each bag is full of a variety of different shapes and styles of LEGO pieces, a plethora of mix and match options to design customized gingerbread people.

“I figure this way we can build them and take them apart as many times as we want, and they can hang on your tree when we’re done,” Finn explains softly, looking back at Poe.

It’s perfect.

Poe turns and presses his face down into the back cushions of the couch before he lets out a muffled shout of joy, unable to be quiet any longer. He rubs his face against the soft upholstery, grinning happily. Finn just knows him so well.

He turns his head, resting against the top of the couch cushion, and gazes back over at his amazing boyfriend, wondering how he ever got so lucky. Finn, he signs. Thank you.

“You’re welcome,” Finn answers with a fond smile. He gestures to the LEGO bricks on the table. “Want to build it?”

Poe nods against the cushions, pushing himself upright again. When he does, Finn chuckles, reaching up his hands.

“Your hair is an absolute mess,” he says, but the smile that goes with it means it’s affectionate. “Can I…?”

Poe nods and closes his eyes, letting Finn run his fingers slowly through his hair, combing out the worst of the tangles. He’s deliberate and gentle, so it never hurts, never pulls too tightly. While he works, Poe stims happily, unable to stop it even if he wanted to.

When Finn is done, Poe feels the gentle touch of fingers against his lips, asking for permission. He leans eagerly into the kiss before he drops his head and pushes himself into Finn’s chest, letting himself be enveloped by Finn’s strong, steady arms.

“Love you,” Finn murmurs into his curls.

Poe hums back in appreciation, trying his best to echo the words, and pats his hand against Finn’s shirt.

“C’mon,” Finn says, and nudges Poe forward. They both slide off of the couch to settle onto the carpet, legs splayed out under the coffee table. Finn flips open the little instruction book that comes with the LEGO set, though it seems pretty self-explanatory, and they begin to sort through pieces, assembling the heads and bodies of blank gingerbread figures waiting to be decorated.

There’s a whole array of pieces in festive Christmas colors, shapes that can be arranged to form clothes or hair or other accessories. Cuddled close, Finn and Poe work together on creating different people, picking out the pieces until they land on something just right. Finn helps when Poe can’t quite manage the tiniest pieces, waiting for Poe’s suggestion of where each one should go. Before long, they have three little people all decked out in holiday gear and they admire their handiwork for a moment as Finn snaps a picture with his phone.

“Again?” he asks, waiting for Poe’s approval.

“Eah!” Poe agrees heartily, turning to press a firm kiss against Finn’s shoulder. He waits and watches while Finn picks up each gingerbread person, carefully pulling the pieces off so they don’t go flying everywhere. Poe doesn’t think he could have come up with a better Christmas morning activity than this, safe and cozy with his boyfriend while they wait for the rest of the world to wake up.

Happy, he signs with a grin, and picks up the pieces to start again.

 

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