[TG/RC] All I Want For Kwanzaa - Part 3

Commissioned by TJ

Alex begins to realise that this version of his life is quite similar to his old one and grows ever closer to his new family while trying to deny his growing attraction to Davy.

December 28th - 29th

The snow came down heavy and hard, what had been a magical sprinkle yesterday was now almost a storm of white and grey outside the windows. For once, the house was quiet. Used to the early morning commutes required for getting to work at a reasonable time in New York, Alex was awake and bored. He could only research Kwanzaa for so long before he started getting bored and scrolling the internet wasn't helping. He considered going to see if Davy was awake but a glance at the clock showed it was only just six am; there didn't exist a reality where knocking on somebody’s door at six am just to see if they wanted to hang out was not weird. He sighed, pacing the room and remembering all the decorations he’d once spread all over the walls. He’d gone through a massive gaming phase in his teens and  covered the wall in pictures of Chrono Trigger and such, only to rip them all down and replace them with rockstars at age sixteen; declared games were ‘for little kids’. He smirked, remembering those years where image had been everything, what a dork he had been. He suddenly remembered the boxes under his bed and wondered if all those things were still here, he certainly hadn't taken them with him when he moved out. He pulled the first one out and was immediately hit with a wave of odd nostalgia. Not the nostalgia of finding your old toys but rather, somebody else's. A set of white and blue rollerblades, the kind with light up wheels that had long stopped working. A jump rope, a stack of Sweet Valley High books; a treasure trove of girlish innocence. It seemed there was no rhyme or theme to any of the boxes, his mother had likely been gathering these things for years resulting in artefacts from Alexandra’s high school days being right next to what must have been her baby blanket.

And yet, there were items that were familiar to him. His favourite Batman comic with the frayed edges was carefully placed beneath books to ensure it kept its shape. He smirked; when he was fourteen he had been convinced it was a rare edition that would be worth thousands one day despite the water stain on the corner. Had Alexandra kept it for the same reason? A frame caught his eye and Alex felt his jaw drop. It was a photograph, a cheesy background of silver cut out stars on a blue background showed a couple in prom attire. There he was, as Alexandra, beaming in a red and black number that was far too skimpy to have been allowed and around her waist were the arms of…Harris?! He dropped the picture in disgust, Harris Johson had been a thorn in his side, the boy had been a natural at finding insecurities and proceeding to pick at them relentlessly. The girls had all loved him for his footballers physic and confidence but to Alex, he’d been nothing but a pain. In this reality they had gone to prom together? God, had they dated? In his reality Alex had lost his virginity at a party not long after Prom; had Alexandra…? The idea made his stomach twist in disgust. That in any reality he could have been taken in by that meat heat…ugh.

He buried the photo at the bottom of the boxes and kept rummaging, hoping for some sort of mental palate cleanser.

He found it.

The box was dented at the edges, the picture of the front faded from years of being left in sunlight but it was here. Mousetrap. The game he had been obsessed with as a child. When he had first seen the ad on television between cartoon shows he had begged for a copy. When his mother finally relented he had bugged Sam incessantly to play it. He loved setting up the elaborate trap, even if he lost he still loved watching it all activate at the end. When one of the pieces snapped he had even stuck it back together with duct tape. Feelings of warm nostalgia filled him followed by an idea. Damning the time he ran down the hall to the room where Sam was staying and banged on the door.

“Somebody better be dying.” Sam grumbled, groaning when he spotted the box in Alex’s arms. “Seriously?”

“Let’s play.”

“Oh my God, it’s not even seven-”

“What’s that Auntie?” Amelia pushed her way out, looking at the box with wide eyes.

“The worst game in the world.” Sam grumbled while Alex answered in the opposite.

“The best game in the world, Amelia. The most fun game ever, do you want to play?”

“Yes!”

Sam gave him a dirty look.

“Using the kid against me is such a dog move.”

“Worked though, didn't it?” Alex grinned  “She isn't going back to sleep so we may as well play.”

“...Fine. I dibs the blue mouse.”

The pieces were old, one or two were missing and Amelia helped them construct one to take their place but soon they had a game going. Sam won and then insisted on a rematch, having gotten quite into it. They were on their third game when their mother woke and came to see what the commotion was about.

“And here I was thinking my days of being woken up by my children playing loudly were over.” She sighed happily, “I knew there was a reason I kept that old game.”

She busied herself with breakfast and just as they were setting up for their fifth rematch, the doorbell rang. Davy was standing there looking sheepish and soaked, an empty cup in hand.

“I…don't suppose you have milk? I forgot to go shopping and with the snow coming down so hard I didn't want to risk driving today.”

“Of course, come in!” His mother practically dragged him inside, “Oh look at you, a minute out there and you’re soaked already. Sam, go get something of yours David can wear won’t you? He’ll catch his death.”

Sam jumped up to do so and Davy came and sat next to Alex on the carpet closest to the fire, still shivering and looking rather embarrassed.

“It’s silly really, when I visit normally I don't have to worry about keeping the kitchen stocked.” He blushed, “I am out of toast as well so all I had was dry cheerios.”

“The horror.” Alex deadpanned.

Amelia grabbed a cracked green plastic mouse and shoved it in Davy’s face.

“Wanna play?”

The man’s eyes widened and he gave Alex a look.

“Is this…the same game from when we were kids?”

“What of it?” Alex smiled, “You are not about to tell me you don’t like Mousetrap, are you? I may have to kick you into the snow if you do.”

Davy held up his hands in defence.

“Me? Hate Mousetrap? Never! I love Mousetrap, it’s the best.”

“Suck up.”

It was not until his father joined them, handing out hot chocolates to ward off the cold that Alex realised just how idyllic the situation was and he was hit hard in the chest by the memory of what was at stake. This place was not real, it was a film fantasy land. He was playing a role and for just a while, he’d fallen into it without even thinking. Davy changed clothes and his new brother returned. He watched as Sam helped Amelia light another candle on their display and his guts twisted. He didn’t know her male counterpart well, he only ever saw Sam once a year and as a result Alex realised he knew Amelia far better than his own universes’ version of Sam’s child.

“You should stay here for the day.” His mother announced, handing Davy a plate of pancakes, “Or at least until the snow stops.”

“We had planned to spend some time uh, cleaning over at my place.” Davy replied, “But that might be a good idea.”

Alex wanted to thrash the guy, cleaning? Really? That was the best he could come up with as a way to hide the fact that Alex still needed to make and wrap his presents. His mother gave an understanding nod in response then slid her eyes over to Alex and gave a wide smile. Yeah, there was no way she would believe nothing was going on now.

“What’s the plan?” Davy asked, “Mousetrap all day?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Alex, please, I am begging you. This game is only fun for so long.”

Before he could stop himself, Alex had stuck out his tongue like a kid and just as quickly clamped a hand over his mouth in shock. Where the hell had that come from? Davy didn’t seem to mind though, he was busy helping Amelia pack everything back into the ratty old box without tearing it further. Being the kid that she was, it didn't take Amelia long to get distracted with pancakes, leaving him and Davy still sitting on the floor.

“What made you bust out that old thing?” He asked.

“I found a bunch of my old stuff in boxes upstairs.” Alex shrugged, “That was a much better find than my damn prom photo.”

To his surprise Davy’s brow furrowed and he looked away; he almost looked angry.

“Yeah, that guy.”

Oh God.

“It was so long ago,” Alex said almost too dramatically, “You were at that boarding school then yeah?”

“Yeah. When I came home one summer you were dating that guy.”

Oh barf.

“Yeah, don’t know what I was thinking, he was such an ass.”

“Glad to hear you say that.” Davy said quietly, his voice was low and Alex got the distinct impression he was missing something important.

“Do you think…” Davy swallowed, “Do you think we’d have kept in touch if that asshole hadn't been so against you having other guys as friends?”

Alex sucked in a breath; so in this reality his jerk ex kept him and Davy apart? Perhaps his mother had been right, maybe in this universe there had been feelings between them. The thought that a young Davy might have been jealous made him feel…he was not quite sure. Obviously he was supposed to fall in love this holiday, that was the story being weaved but this was all just for show. He didn't actually want Davy to fall in love with him, he wasn't attracted to him and his deep eyes and broad shoulders. The idea of him caring enough to be jealous should not have made him happy. It did though.

“Who knows.” He tried to sound breezy, “We’re together now though-I mean, like, together in this spot. Not together together.”

He laughed nervously, real butterflies racing in his stomach no matter how much he told them to stop. He bit down on his thumb nail and then ripped it away; what was he fourteen? To his surprise though Davy smirked.

“You used to do that all the time!”

“I did?”

“Yeah, your mom always said as a toddler you sucked your thumb when you were nervous, then when you got older you started biting your thumbnail instead.”

Alex felt himself go red. Why would his mother tell anybody that!?

“Aw come on.” Davy poked him in the side, “I think it’s cute.”

His mother returned from the kitchen, another plate of breakfast food in hand just in time to see the gesture and she smiled at him. Alex grabbed a pillow from the nearby couch and wacked Davy with it, trying very hard not to look as flustered as he felt.

~

As the day wore on Alex found himself slipping more and more, girly affectations making their way into his speech and mannerisms so naturally he didn't notice until it was too late. This seemed to make his family relax, his mother even going so far as to say she was glad Alex was ‘herself’ again.

“That New York, it had you so wound up.” She chided, “See how relaxing coming home is?”

Relaxing wasn't the first word Alex would have chosen but he couldn't deny, this reality did have its charms. Or at least it did until Amelia started crying. Her big dark eyes filled with tears as Sam tried to calm her after getting off the phone with his wife.

“Rachel’s flight was cancelled due to the weather.” Sam sighed, “Getting a new one is practically impossible at this time of year so she won’t be joining us for the rest of the holiday.”

“I want my mommy! You promised she’d be here later!”

Sam tried his best to soothe the little girl but it was going nowhere fast. All the adults shared concerned looks, it was bad enough being trapped inside all day but if Amelia was going to scream the whole time they may actually go crazy.

“How about we let you open one present early?” His mother suggested, “As a treat since you won't be seeing mommy till the New Year?”

“Yes please!”

Her tears dried so fast Alex couldn’t help but feel they may have just been tricked. She eagerly unwrapped one of the presents and squealed with delight, holding it up for all to see. A mini make up kit.

“I buy her a few things from the store.” His mother explained in a hush tone to Davy, loud enough that Alex could overhear, “The homemade ones are the important thing of course, but she’s the only girl in her school that doesn't celebrate Christmas, she deserves a few extras.”

Amelia was already pulling out little plastic tubes of lipstick with utter amazement and before Alex could move the little girl was hugging his legend.

“Auntie! Auntie, can you help me put it on!”

“Oh uh…”

“Pleeeeeeeeease?”

Sam gave him a pleading look, none of them wanted another tantrum.

“Sure.” Alex smiled nervously, “Why don't we go to the bathroom though so we don't make a mess.”

‘And so nobody sees me flailing like an idiot’

He did not know a thing about makeup or how to apply it. He’d found a bag of the stuff in his suitcase of course but he was yet to touch it. Each morning he woke up looking perfect so what was even the point? In this weird Hallmark universe why did anybody even need makeup anyway? Silently, Alex cursed the universe; why did Amelia have to pick that present? They arrived in the bathroom and Amelia carefully laid out each item before turning to him with an expectant look.

“What first?”

“What do you think?” He tried, “Your mommy must have taught you how to put this stuff on, surely?”

“Nope! Mommy says I am too young but Nana says every girl should learn early!”

Well this girl was very much late to that party. It didn't help that all this makeup was cheap, simply kids stuff, not the real thing. He looked over the options; a compact, three bright eyeshadows, two tubes of lipstick and a pencil of some sort. The compact looked to be concealer or foundation of some sort but…it was the totally wrong colour. A peachy, pale pink. He looked over at his niece's face; dark like his own, a few shades lighter, but there was no way this make up would work for her. He snapped it closed and placed it back in the bag.

“You’re so pretty,” He smiled, “You don’t need this stuff, let’s just do your lips.”

He’d seen women apply make up a thousand times so he had Amelia pout and painted the cheap pink onto her lips. It looked a little clumped but in true little girl fashion, Amelia thought it was perfect.

“It's your turn!”

Alex started to protest but felt his conviction waver at those big brown eyes; how could he say no. So, with humiliation burning in his veins he leaned down and let Amelia paint his lips bright, cherry red. He cringed as he turned to face the mirror, fully expecting the same slightly clumpy mess. Instead he discovered that not only did the lipstick not look cheap at all, Amelia had applied it perfectly. Alex couldn’t decide if his niece was some sort of makeup savant or if this was just the movie land logic at work. Either way; he could not deny how good he looked. The red contrasted with the dark tone of his skin and somehow made his eyes look even darker and more mysterious. He looked ready to hit the cover of a damn magazine and he couldn’t help but smile, running his fingers through those soft afro curls and posing.

“Let’s go show everybody!” Amelia squealed, grabbing his hand and dragging him back down to the living room where the rest of the family were waiting.

“Oh Amelia don’t you look so cute!” His father said with a smile, the rest of the adults crowding around the little girl to tell her how grown up she looked.

Alex smiled and then turned to see Davy staring right at him; eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. Nobody had ever looked at him that way before and for a moment, his heart fluttered. Davy swallowed, looking away and moving over to compliment his niece but Alex stayed put. That connection he had been feeling the last few days with Davy…it was getting stronger. There was no hiding it now, this was definitely a romance movie and if he had any hope of getting his real life back, he was going to have to play along.

For how long? Would he have to kiss him? Would he have to go further than that? Alex pressed a finger to his now red lips and sighed. It was so wrong to play with a man’s feelings like that but it had to be done. He would do it, he would play his role and ‘fall in love’ with Davy if that’s what it took. What concerned him most though, even more than the idea of messing with his friend, was the realisation that the idea of dating Davy didn’t bother him in the slightest.

~

December 29th

Alex paced. In a few minutes he would be heading over to Davy’s house to start work on his presents. They had organised it before dinner yesterday and as he had left, Alex watched him turn back as if to say something before thinking better of it and going home. To his big, empty house. Alone. The same big, empty house he was about to walk into. He took deep breaths, reminding himself this was just like acting in a play, it didn't mean anything. Once he was back in his own reality hopefully he could just forget the whole thing. He shouldn't even be nervous and yet…he was. His heart was racing, his palms sweating as butterflies danced in his stomach. Along with a decent helping of guilt.

He managed to slip out without any of his family noticing, he was glad. His head was already spinning with so many emotions he didn't think he could stand another ‘pep talk’ from his mother about what a nice boy David is. The storm from yesterday had passed, leaving nothing but blue open skies and a thick layer of fresh snow for him to trudge through. In true movie logic fashion, the plagues of his pants seemed to dry the moment he reached Davys front door. That was convenient at least. Davy answered quickly, almost as if he had been waiting and Alex’s stomach did a flip.

He was wearing what looked to be a Christmas sweater made of deep red wool with golden hems. It complimented his auburn hair perfectly and Alex felt himself suck in a breath. Never in his life had he been attracted to men but now a feeling of genuine fondness and arousal swirled inside him, much to his humiliation.

“Hey.” He gave a nervous wave, “Thanks again for letting me store my stuff here while I get it ready.”

“No problem, I’m just glad to help.”

Their words were stilted; this was not the first time they had been alone together but somehow being alone in Davy’s family house felt different than at the mall or in his car. There was a certain sense of intimacy. Something that should have made Alex happy, he needed to get Davy to fall in love with him after all, intimacy is exactly what he needed. His heart thundered in his chest; he just had to flirt, why was that so hard all of a sudden.

“You okay?”

“Wha-yeah. Perfect!” His cheeks were turning pink, “I was just thinking….about how weird it is to be back here after so many years.”

He cleared his throat, looking intently around the room in a way he knew must have seemed strange. Nobody looked at grandfather clocks with such intensity; yet he couldn't make himself stop. It was like being a flustered teenager again, only vaguely in control of his words and actions. Davy’s brow furrowed.

“Come on, I’ll make us drinks.”

Turns out by ‘drinks’ Davy meant the single most impressive hot chocolate Alex had ever seen. Real melted chocolate, marshmallow, whipped cream, sprinkles, the works. He even had one of those fancy torches chefs used to toast the marshmallow on top. It was so pretty Alex almost felt bad drinking it, until the liquid touched his lips and he promptly swallowed half of it.

“Sweet merciful Jesus, that's amazing.”

“I know right? Perks of your father being a Michelin star chef for thirty years.” Davy spun the flamethrowing on his finger, immediately fumbling and dropping it with a swear.

“Damn, you would have looked so smooth if you pulled that off.” Alex smirked, sipping at his drink.

“I know.” Davy groaned, “And now I am just a dork who probably just broke one of his fathers expensive cooking tools.”

Alex giggled; all at once the tension which had been choking him all morning disappeared. Davy gave him a wry smile and he sighed; why did he get himself so worked up? He had ages to implement his plan and in the films, the couple only get together at the end right? So there was no need to get right to it. He could spend a day or two just enjoying his old friends' company.

“There’s the smile I- I mean, good to see you smiling.” Davy fumbled, “You seemed so tense when you walked in I was worried I’d done something wrong.”

Alex took in his slight blush, the nervous way he held himself…were romances in the real world this obvious? Not in his experience, who in their right mind wouldn't be able to tell Davy had caught feelings. It felt almost stupid to act as if he sensed nothing but that’s what all the women in those films did so Alex supposed he had better.

“Where have you stored my things, we’d better get started. If I am honest, I am rubbish at crafts so hopefully some of this artistic talent.” He waved a hand at the remaining hot chocolate. “Can rub off on me.”

He downed the rest of his cup and Davy chuckled, reaching out to wipe a spot of cream from his cheek. It was a simple touch that barely lasted longer than a second and yet Alex felt like he'd been hit with a live wire. His whole body stiffened slightly, heat burning in his cheeks as the butterflies returned for entirely different reasons.

“I put them in the lounge.” Davy said a little too quickly, “Come on, I found some glue and old craft stuff upstairs in my old room that might be able to help, even if it is old.”

The tension in the air was thick but strangely enough not uncomfortable. In fact, Alex was resisting the urge to revel in it. It was as if there was electricity in the air, a magnetic force bringing him closer to Davy in each step. Even as they sat down and started threading beads to make his mother a Kwanzaa necklace to go with the shall they’d bought he had one eye on Davy’s hands, making sure they never accidentally brushed. Time seemed to pass both fast and slow; the hours wiled away as he threaded needles and weaved thread. Yet the individual moments, the small smiles, the gentle words; seemed to stretch on for an eternity.  By the time lunch was approaching and Alex excused himself to return home he was keenly aware the stakes had been raised. This wasn't just a matter of playing his part anymore, he wasn’t acting; he was actually developing feelings for Davy. Actual, real, romantic feelings. How could he have let this happen? It had to do with the magic that had transported him here right? Because he wasn't actually a woman. He wasn't really Alexandra…right?

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