Chapter Text
December had come around, and Ned hadn’t seen Nancy in months. It was going to be their first Christmas without seeing each other at all. Last year, he’d been hoping to spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together with her, but he’d told himself afterwards that it was silly of him to set his expectations that high. Looking at the warmly lit windows of his own house, it was hard to believe the person he’d been just over a year ago.
Joe wasn’t staying at the apartment anymore. It had been just a toothbrush at first, and then a change of clothes, and then he was staying in Ned’s guest room. Just as friends, of course, but Ned was pretty sure that was how Joe wanted it, and he definitely intended to respect that. If he wondered what it would be like to spend the rest of his life together with Joe in the closeness they’d both adjusted to, that was his own problem. Ned really didn’t mind it too much, anyway. Joe didn’t seem all that interested in changing anything.
So then, why was the light on in his bedroom? Not in the kitchen or living room, not in Joe’s bedroom, it was through his own bedroom curtains the light glowed. Ned unlocked the front door and went inside.
“Joe…?”
“In here, Ned.”
Joe’s voice filtered through his bedroom door. Something about it sounded kind of off - nervous. Maybe Joe had accidentally broken something?
“Is everything okay?” He set the cake he’d bought in the fridge and his keys on the kitchen counter before carefully stepping through his closed but not locked bedroom door.
As he turned the handle, though, Joe called, “Wait! Did you read the letter on the table?”
Ned turned and looked. There was indeed a plain, unaddressed envelope sitting on the kitchen table. “Oh. Should I read that first?”
“Yeah. Read it and then come in. If you want to.”
Joe’s voice definitely sounded insecure. He must’ve really done something crazy, if he sounded that nervous around him. They’d already been through so many little disasters together, and always come out closer because of it. What could Joe possibly think he’d get angry about?
Ned opened the letter and blinked. There were doodles of hearts in the margins of it. Joe’s messy scrawl read,
Dear Ned,
I decided I shouldn’t hide it from you anymore. I’m in love with you. Like, romantically. I know you think we have a bro thing going on, and that’s been the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole entire life, but I just thought you should know that I wanna keep doing this forever. And maybe kiss and have sex and stuff. But only if you want! If you’re not cool with that, just head upstairs for a bit and I’ll get changed and shred this letter into a million pieces and we’ll have a good Christmas pretending this never happened. But if you’re interested, I’ve got a gift for you. I’m waiting in your bedroom because the bed is bigger. Sorry if that’s an invasion of your privacy.
I love you.
Joe
Ned read it three times, face getting hotter each time. When it finally sank in that it was real, that it wasn’t a prank, that Joe was waiting for him , he set the letter down and bolted to his bedroom door, yanking it open. What waited for him inside belonged in his cheesiest fantasies.
“Hey.” Joe had haphazardly wrapped large, silky ribbons around his body. He was wearing a Santa cap over his cock, a huge, goofy grin, and nothing else. There were tears in his eyes, which Ned snapped out of his shock to run over and wipe away for him.
“Joe… You look… Wow. You went to a lot of trouble for me…” Ned hugged him tightly, smiling so hard his face hurt.
Joe laughed and hugged him just as tightly. “I’m really glad you liked it. Waiting around like this was.. Um, it’s kinda chilly in here.”
Ned laughed, too. “You know, why don’t we cuddle for a bit, before getting crazy? I mean, I do appreciate this, and it is hot and everything, but it’s also Christmas. We should watch Christmas movies and drink hot cocoa and… you know, let it all sink it for a bit.”
“I got gooey butter cake,” Joe volunteered, hopping up to grab his boxers and sweatpants. “And I could really use some fried chicken.”
“Well, you should’ve said so, I would’ve picked some up.” Ned stood, laughing. “Instead, I also got a cake.”
“You can never have too much cake!” Joe patted his shoulder. “Never mind. I have chicken tenders in the freezer. Those are close enough.”
They had dinner together, snuggling beneath the blankets on the couch and enjoying not one but two Christmas movies. It was just a little uncomfortable, remembering Joe’s naked body so vividly, but it felt right to spend time like that, relaxing with each other. Ned was really much too happy to care.
But eventually, the conversation had slipped into quiet, their bodies rested close to each other, and Ned finally started to wonder if he should make a move. As if he’d read his mind, Joe put a hand on his thigh and leaned in a little closer to him, and his heart beat faster. He leaned in to meet him and Joe’s lips pressed eagerly against his, a warm and steady pressure that sent tingles up his spine. Joe wrapped his arms around him, leading him to lie on his back while their legs slotted together.
Joe’s hands moved down his chest to his belt buckle, slowly taking it off. Ned lifted his hips to help him, teeth worrying at his lip. He watched as Joe pulled off his own clothes, setting the t-shirt and sweatpants aside before pulling Ned’s pants away slowly. Joe’s eyes turned up and met his. “... Hey, you can let me know if you want to stop. It’s okay.”
“No, I’m good. I want this,” Ned promised, smiling. “I haven’t done it before, so I’m kind of in your hands for this, that’s all.”
“Oh, you mean… Like, nothing at all?” Joe nodded. “Okay. Um… Me neither, but I have the general idea. Don’t worry. You mind if I bottom for this one?”
Ned’s eyes were drawn down Joe’s body. His heart leapt to his throat. “Uhhh… Yeah. Fine by me.”
Joe got up and finally took off his boxers. He shot Ned a grin. “Not bad, right?”
Ned nodded once and told him in unadulterated sincerity, “You’re really beautiful.”
Joe laughed a little, pleased, and pounced back on the bed to kiss him.
Ned fell back onto the bed easily, moaning in encouragement as Joe pinned his wrists down. Heat that shot down his spine and pooled south, and Ned instinctually rolled his hips upward, rutting up against Joe’s bare thigh. Joe’s warm lips returned to his throat and Ned leaned his head back, practically begging him for more.
Joe grinned, grinding his own cock against Ned’s thigh in return. The friction felt wonderful. His kisses to Ned’s neck turned to gentle, teasing bites as he slowly moved his hand down to reach between his legs. He smeared pre across Ned’s cock, teasing, “So close already? That’s what I like to see. C’mon, moan for me some more.”
Ned hid his face in his hands, but that was fine. Joe grabbed lube out of his bedside drawer and shifted down the bed to settle between his legs. He gripped his thighs and pulled them apart while Ned watched through his fingers.
“Damn, you look delicious. Mind if I try?” Joe winked at him and ducked down, startling a gasp out of him. His tongue dragged along his cock slowly, eyes piercing Ned’s. The whimper that came out of Ned’s throat encouraged him to show off even more. Without even taking the time to tease him about it anymore, he took Ned’s cock into his mouth, and then even deeper. It was different than a popsicle, or even a dildo, but the mechanics were about the same. The practice had paid off. Ned, who probably hadn’t gotten his dick into anything before, let out a guttural moan and strained as hard as he could to hold back his orgasm.
Joe pulled away and breathed, grinning up at him. “Neat trick, right?”
“Yeah…” Ned reached down and tousled Joe’s hair. “Feels really good. I, er… I kind of want to make you feel good, too, though.”
“No problems there.” Joe braced himself against Ned’s body, resting his head against Ned’s stomach while sticking his own hips high into the air. He slipped a finger inside himself, and then another, rocking them back and forth for Ned to see. Occasionally, he leaned forward to drag his tongue over the base of Ned’s cock, just to keep him hard. It really wasn’t necessary. Ned was entranced.
Joe finished stretching himself and straddled Ned’s hips, carefully lining himself up. “You ready?”
“Yeah, um... Ready!” Ned’s voice was a little strangled.
Joe slowly moved his hips down, groaning as he impaled himself on Ned’s twitching cock. He saw Ned’s hands flex and curl into fists and he closed his own hands over them, gripping on tight for balance.
“You all right?” Ned moved his hands so he could hold onto Joe’s properly. “Does it hurt?”
“No, feels good.” Joe lifted his hips slowly and groaned as Ned sank in again. “Shit, it feels really good.”
Ned was struggling to stay still, but he wanted Joe to set the pace. Joe didn’t keep him waiting long. He moved again, and then again, picking up speed until his ass audibly slapped against him. Ned couldn’t help bucking up into that delicious heat, and Joe moaned when he met him like that. Joe lunged forward and braced himself on the bed to kiss him. He bit Ned’s lip and pushed his tongue in when he gasped. Joe lured his tongue in and sucked on it, hard. Ned finally touched Joe’s body without any worry of offense, massaging muscles, groping his ass, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him back into the kiss when he tried to pull away to breathe. Joe ate him up like he couldn’t get enough, and Ned gave as good as he got.
They reached a feverish pace and Ned finally broke the kiss. “Joe, I’m gonna come. You want it inside?”
“Yeah,” Joe panted, driving that dick inside himself even harder. “C’mon. Come inside me. I want you to fucking fill me up.”
Ned clutched onto him tightly, out of breath and grinning. “Okay. Here it comes!”
“Yes!” Joe slammed his hips down once more, moaning loudly as he felt Ned’s hot cum deep inside. He savored every second of it, round after round of all that built-up seed finally milked out of his cock. His own cock was still hard, red, and twitching, which Ned noticed with disappointment as he finally softened and slipped back out of him.
“You didn’t finish…” Ned pulled him close and cuddled him with a frown. “Do you want me to get my mouth on it? Or.. if you want, I could take a turn… doing that.”
Joe grinned, obviously not disappointed at all. “Oh? You wanna take it inside? If you’re sure… I wouldn’t say no to that.”
Ned grabbed the lube and put it on his own fingers, copying what he’d seen Joe do before. Joe watched with a big, silly grin on his face, too happy to even try to hide it. After a minute or two, Ned hesitated before pulling them out, looking to Joe for approval. “Think that’s good…?”
“Let me check.” He sat up and pulled Ned’s hips higher, spreading his cheeks to get a good look. Ned squeaked and blushed, but moved with him and even wiggled his hips a little to give him a good show.
Joe slicked his fingers up and pushed two inside, eliciting a delicious moan. He crooked them inside him to grind them against his prostate, biting his lip at the way Ned squirmed and whimpered at the feeling. “Mm, pretty sensitive, huh?”
He knelt on the bed behind Ned and grabbed his ass with one hand, lining up his cock with the other. “Ready?”
Ned nodded, pushing his hips up a bit higher. “Please.”
Joe slowly pushed into him, watching for his reactions to make sure it didn’t hurt.
“It feels good. Please, Joe.” It took Ned a moment to adjust, but once he did, he started moving his hips on his own, looking back at Joe with hopeful eyes.
That was all he needed to hear. Joe slammed into him with short, powerful thrusts, nailing that sensitive spot inside him every time he pushed back in.
“You feel amazing… I’m not gonna last…” Joe wrapped one hand around to stroke Ned’s length, biting his lip. A few more eager rocks of his hips and he came inside him. He sat back on his heels and watched it leak out of him, pumping his cock until he came all over the sheets.
Joe moved up beside him and hugged him close, pulling him over to the dry side of the bed. “That was amazing… Did you like it? Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” Ned was smiling hard, tears in his eyes. “It felt good. And I’m really happy.”
Joe grinned and kissed his lips playfully. “I’m so glad you didn’t get upset and kick me out. Kinda thought that was a possibility.”
“No way.” Ned gave him a crushing hug. “Even if I wasn’t into you like that, I wouldn’t kick you out.”
Joe covered his face in kisses, giggling a little. “Well, merry Christmas to me!”