Sweaters & Cigarettes (32 page)

"They're really cool,
though," Theo says, in an awkward attempt at being helpful, and everyone
turns to him. "Not tacky, or anything."

Max quirks a small, amused smile.

"Thank you," he says,
giving Theo a pointed glance, and Riley rolls his eyes, as though disgusted by
the sweetness of their whole dynamic.

"What do they look like?"
he asks, though, and Max looks over at him. He raises his eyebrows, in a
jokingly formal expression.

"I'm glad you asked," he
says, his tone matching his expression, and he proceeds to describe his
tattoos.

Theo watches his mother's
expression of restrained, neutral interest, while his father just sits there
looking disapproving (although, everyone seems to be ignoring him, at this
point). Riley looks positively intrigued, and when Max gets to describing the wings,
Riley's eyes actually widen, while he expresses how cool it sounds, and Max
points out that Theo was actually there to keep him company, when he had them
finished. Theo can't help but smile at the memory; that whole day somehow
caused a shift in their relationship, taking it to a whole new level, before
they even realized that they were in a relationship, in the first place.

The rest of the night runs rather
smoothly, Max getting visibly more comfortable as time goes on. By the time
dessert is finished, he, Theo and Riley move into the living room, while Theo's
parents insist on cleaning up. Without his parents present, the whole thing is
completely relaxed, and the three of them hang out like they have before,
although with Max keeping himself in check and
not
touching and kissing
Theo as much as he's used to and as much as he would probably like. Not that
Theo minds; he's just glad that the night has gone well, and that despite the
awkward incident from before, it all worked out for the better.

Max ends up showing Riley his
tattoos, causing the fourteen-year-old to just stare in awe, especially at the
wings, and Theo can't help but smile. It kind of resembles his own reaction,
the first time he saw them, and Riley starts asking all kinds of questions about
it, keeping a rather enthusiastic conversation going, for a pretty long time.

It is a school night, though, and
Max eventually has to leave. He says goodbye to Riley, as well as Theo's
parents, somewhat awkwardly thanking them, getting a smile and a friendly
goodbye from Amy, and a gruff reply and slight frown, from Eric. Theo walks him
to the door, where the two of them linger for a minute, while Max puts his coat
and stuff on.

"Well," he says, as Theo
watches him, hands in his pockets. "How did I do?"

He says it jokingly, but Theo can
tell he's a bit anxious about it, underneath it all, and he smiles.

"You did good," he says,
stepping closer and moving his hands up to the lapels of Max's black
trenchcoat. "I'm proud of you."

Max just looks at him, a surprised
look of affection on his face, one he quickly tries to hide with surprised
amusement.

"Well, damn," he says.
"Not sure I'd go that far."

"I would," Theo says,
giving him a small kiss. "I know this whole thing was less than ideal for
you, and you did it, anyway. So, yeah."

Max nods slowly, putting his hands
on Theo's waist.

"I'm glad I did," he
says. "You know, awkward dad-confrontation aside."

Theo knows that Max normally
wouldn't have had a problem with said confrontation, and that he was only bothered
by it because it was with Theo's father. Again, Theo gets the distinct feeling
that for once, Max
actually
wants someone to like him, and he has proven
that, this whole night, by being so much more subdued and polite than he would
normally be. Not to mention censored, which Theo still somehow finds hilarious
and adorable.

Theo leans in and kisses him again,
slower, this time, taking his time. He feels Max reciprocate, and for several
seconds, they just stand there, kissing. They keep it chaste, though, and
eventually, they have to pull apart.

"See you tomorrow?" Max
says, moving toward the front door.

"Definitely," Theo replies, and they
exchange a small smile and another kiss, before Max steps out into the snow and
Theo closes the door behind him. And as he does, Theo lets out a slow, deep
exhale, feeling more optimistic than he has in a long time.

Chapter 21

Gifts

It's amazing how different it feels, now.

Even though Theo hasn't for a
second
not
been happy with Max, it somehow feels so much lighter and
better, now that his parents are okay with it. Well, at least his mother is;
Eric still seems a bit opposed to the whole thing, only begrudgingly accepting
his son's relationship, really.

Riley seems happy about it, though.
After the dinner, Theo didn't really ask their father anything about Max, and
his impression of him, but Riley wasn't so subtle. He wanted to know what Eric
thought, wanted to know if his opinion had changed, now that he had actually
talked to Max, properly. Eric was rather reluctant to answer, as though knowing
that he would end up saying something bad, and therefore earning another
reprimand from his wife. Theo ended up giving Riley a look that asked him to
back off, at least for now, and Riley obligingly left their father alone,
leaving Eric to sneak out to the garage, while Theo, Riley and their mother
cleaned up. No one seemed to mind.

Cassie was thrilled to hear about
how the dinner had gone. Theo told her over lunch, at school, while Max joined
them, and every now and then, she would tease them both about how adorable and
awkward the whole thing seemed to have been. It made Theo smile, and Max
humored her, and overall, Theo was just happy that the dinner had gone so well,
at all, embarrassing moments aside.

The following couple of weeks, time
goes by rather quickly, with a whole bunch of schoolwork suddenly piling on,
and it's only around the middle of December, that Theo realizes that Christmas
is coming up. He's not the only one, and so he, Max, Riley and Cassie end up
taking a trip to the mall, to shop for gifts.

Max isn't really into it, not
really into Christmas, but he comes along anyway, mostly because Theo wants him
to. He even goes the extra mile and pulls Theo into a kiss, under one of the
several mistletoes that are scattered around the mall, at Christmas time, much
to Riley's chagrin, Cassie's amusement, and Theo's happy embarrassment.

Cassie and Riley haven't actually
met before, but they hit it off immediately, and Theo and Riley find some nice
stuff for their parents, pretty early on. They pick out a new toolbox for Eric
(knowing that he needs one, and deciding on it, despite Max's and Cassie's
teasing about how cliché a gift it is), and a new set of brushes and oil paints
for Amy, who's artistic and often laments about how she never has the time to
paint, anymore.

It's while Theo is paying for Amy's
gift, that Cassie notices Riley drift off toward a different section of the
store, and she nudges Theo.

"What's he doing?" she
asks Theo, who looks over his shoulder, while he waits in line. Riley is
browsing along the jewelry and accessory section, looking slightly awkward, and
Theo glances at Max, who raises his eyebrows.

"He doesn't happen to have a
lady friend, does he?" he says, and comprehension dawns on Theo's face.

"Actually, he does," he
says, before turning to Cassie, who just looks at him.

"What?" she says, and
Theo cocks his head toward Riley. Cassie takes the hint and looks slightly
indignant.

"Oh," she says, "so
I
have to help him out, just 'cause I've got a vagina?"

Max makes a sound of mock sympathy.

"Aw, don't say that," he
says, patting her shoulder. "I'm sure it's the prettiest vagina in all the
land."

Cassie downright glares at him, but
Max just gives her a mischievous, and simultaneously innocent smile, clearly
enjoying her reaction. Cassie just rolls her eyes then, and sighs.

"Fine," she says
begrudgingly. "For the girl."

"Thanks," Theo says, but
Cassie just mumbles and shakes her head, as she makes her way over to Riley,
who looks slightly lost among all the feminine accessories. Theo and Max watch,
as Cassie talks to him, and eventually, their suspicions are confirmed; from
what Theo can tell, Riley actually
is
looking for a Christmas gift for
Ellie, and might be in need of some help.

"Who's the girl?" Max
asks, and Theo glances at him, before turning back in his little brother's
direction.

"Ellie," he replies.
"Our neighbor. They've known each other forever, and Riley has had a crush
on her for quite some time."

Max nods.

"And is it reciprocated?"
he says, and Theo half-shrugs.

"I think so," he says.
"I mean, from what I can tell. Honestly, I think she might have had a
crush on him, for even longer. Pretty sure she wouldn't mind, if he finally
made a move."

Max makes a small, almost impressed
sound.

"What do you know," he
says. "Little dude's got game."

Theo's turn in line comes up, and
he pays for Amy's gift, before making his way over to the wrapping station, figuring
that they might as well. Riley isn't done yet, anyway, and he and Cassie seem
to be in the process of selecting a piece of jewelry.

"What do you want for
Christmas?" Theo asks Max, as he wraps his mother's gift, and Max's brow
furrows slightly.

"What do you mean?" he
says, sounding genuinely confused, and Theo glances at him pointedly.

"For Christmas," he
clarifies. "What do you want, as a gift?"

Max just blinks.

"Like... from you?" he
says dumbly, and Theo quirks a small smile.

"Yeah," he says. "From
me."

Max takes a few seconds to answer,
actually shifting a bit.

"I don't know," he
finally says. "Haven't really thought about it."

Theo cuts up some string to tie
around the Christmas-wrapped package, glancing at Max.

"Well, I wanna get you something,"
he says, and Max frowns again.

"Why?" he asks, and Theo
shrugs, tying a knot with the string.

"Because I want to," he
says. "You're my boyfriend, I wanna get you a gift."

He looks at Max, suddenly a bit
scared that maybe exchanging gifts is a bit too much, despite how far they've
already come in their relationship. But Max's expression looks confused, rather
than annoyed, and it calms him down a bit.

"You don't have to get me
anything," Theo says, shaking his head comfortingly. "I―"

"No, I want to," Max
says, a bit hurriedly, and for a moment, he gets that uncharacteristically shy,
almost nervous look that Theo still isn't used to. "I mean, I wanna get
you something. I just... I didn't really know it was a
thing
, you
know?"

He glances at the floor, before
glancing away, avoiding Theo's eyes.

"But yeah, I'd like
that," he says, looking back at Theo. "And I kinda have to, now,
especially if you're getting me something."

He says that last part with
obvious, cocky sarcasm, and Theo smiles.

"Awesome," he says,
giving Max a light kiss, and Max gives him a small smile, before helping out
with the rest of the wrapping.

Riley and Cassie eventually make a
purchase, and Theo eyes Riley's gift approvingly as he shows it to him; it's a
necklace, a simple, silver chain with a small, matching pendant of a bird.

"Good choice," Theo says,
handing it back to Riley, who puts it back in his bag, looking a bit awkward
about it.

"And I didn't even pick it
out," Cassie says, a bit proudly. "He didn't really need my
help."

"Yeah, I did," Riley
grumbles, gratefully. "There's so much stuff, and I don't want it to be
too much, or awkward, or anything... She might not even like it. Girls are
weird."

"I hear ya," Max says,
and Cassie punches him in the arm. He rubs his arm gently, turning to her, but
gives her nothing but a small, annoying smirk, and Cassie shakes her head. Theo
can't help but smile a bit, at their almost sibling-like squabbling, and by the
time he's done wrapping Amy's gift, the two of them are still play-fighting, as
they all make their way out of the store.

"Max," Riley says after a
while, nudging Max. "Come on, let's go."

Max frowns at him, almost
suspiciously.

"Why?" he says, and Riley
raises his eyebrows pointedly.

"Because Theo's gonna get you a
Christmas present," he says, "and you can't be there, when he
does."

Max looks at Theo.

"Wait, what?" he says,
but Theo only has time to shrug, before Riley has grabbed Max's coat and tugged
on it.

"Come on," he says, with
complete ease, and Max goes with him.

"Wait, that means I have to
get you something," Max tells Theo, as he backs away, with some measure of
sarcastic annoyance.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure
it's good," Riley promises his brother, before Theo can reply, and Cassie
does a salute.

"I've got this end
covered," she says, and Riley gives her a nod of mock seriousness, before
he and Max turn around and make their way in the other direction. Cassie turns
to Theo, who just stands there for a moment, somehow just so happy about the
easy familiarity of the whole situation that just unfolded.

"So," Cassie says, and he
turns to her. "What are you getting him?"

Theo sighs.

"I have no idea," he
admits, and Cassie purses her lips.

"Alright," she says.
"We'll think of something. Come on."

They're practically at the center
of the mall when they start off, and they spend the next half-hour or so
browsing in different stores, trying to think of what would be a suitable gift.
Theo quickly finds a gift for Riley, and he and Cassie continue on their quest
to find something for Max.

"I want it to be something
small," Theo tells Cassie, as they stroll through a shop full of
alternative clothes and accessories. He's not sure how they ended up here, but
they've been pretty much everywhere else, already. "Something simple. I
mean, we haven't really been together that long, and I don't want it to be too
big, or anything."

He thinks about how although he and
Max haven't officially been together for more than a couple of months, it feels
like they've known each other forever, and that he has never felt this close to
anyone in his entire life. He's pretty sure Max feels the same way, regardless
of how long it's been, time-wise.

But still. He wants to keep the
gift simple, just symbolic, more than anything.

"Well," Cassie says,
trailing her fingers along some t-shirts hanging on the wall. "What does
he like?"

Theo shrugs.

"A bunch of stuff," he
says, fiddling with a price tag on a beanie. "And none of it narrows it
down, really."

He discards the beanie and looks
around.

"I want to get him something
that suits him," he says, thinking out loud. "Something ordinary, but
also something that stands out, sort of. I want him to know it's from me, you
know? Or something, I don't know."

He feels like an idiot, unable to
phrase it properly, but Cassie seems to get it.

"Okay," she says,
nodding. "So, kind of like a memento of you?"

Theo cocks his head.

"I guess," he says, and
Cassie hums to herself, browsing along the wall.

"Something he wouldn't get
himself," she murmurs, "but something that he would like. Something
that stands out enough to remind him of you..."

Theo feels like Cassie's got a
train of thought that he's not really managing to follow, but he doesn't have
to think about it for much longer, before she suddenly stops dead.

"Something like this?"
she says, picking something out and holding it up in front of Theo, and he just
blinks, looking at it. Then he gently takes it from her, turning it over in his
hands.

"Yeah," he says softly.
"Something like that."

It's a bracelet, made from dark
brown leather, a little over an inch wide, with a vague, black imprint of
spread wings, as well as a dark silver buckle. It's not much, nothing special.
But still. As Theo looks at it, he feels like it's somehow the gift he's been
looking for, despite its simplicity. It's dark enough to not look out of place
with Max's black attire, yet still different enough to stand out. And it's
small, simple, not a big deal. Just something that Max can keep with him, as a
memento, as Cassie put it. Just a symbolic gift.

"You like it?" Cassie
asks, and Theo nods, eyeing the bracelet.

"Yeah," he says.
"It's kinda perfect, actually."

He looks up at Cassie.

"Thanks," he says, and
she smiles.

"Happy to help," she
says, and Theo purchases the bracelet, deciding to wrap it when he gets home.

They meet up with Max and Riley
about half-an-hour later, sitting down at a small café on the second floor of
the mall, and Max slides into the seat next to Theo.

"I have fulfilled my
boyfriend-related Christmas obligations," he says, after giving Theo a
kiss. "You know, the non-dirty kind."