"Tripp." I warn, shifting slightly to hook another ornament on the Christmas tree. It isn't the first Christmas tree I have decorated, seeing as Tripp's parents always made sure to hand-pick their pine tree before having it sent to their home and making tree decorating a 'family activity' (activities I was included in despite not really being the traditional definition of 'family'). But it is my first tree, one that Tripp and I hand-picked. It makes my stomach swoop.

"Hmm?" He hums questioningly, as though he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. I ignore him for a second, leaning forward to look through the box of ornaments once more. Tripp's mom had sent them in advance, stating that since we weren't going over for the holidays, that they were simply hogging basement space. Precious space that she would rather use to continue her insane shopping purchases.

My body jolts as I feel his hands tighten around my butt, squeezing the flesh as he kisses the showing skin of my back. My skin tingles, I push the no-no thoughts away quickly as I straighten once more. It's Christmas week for crying out loud, and because Kyle and his boyfriend, and Tripp's parents were supposed to make an appearance, we were preparing the tree and other house decorations. And we would've been done for now if it weren't for Mr. Handsy-pants.

"Would you stop touching me?" A hurt noise escapes him as I look through the remainder of the ornaments. There's two personalized Christmas ornaments that catch my eye. It was a DIY activity that Tripp's parents had come up with, since my parents didn't agree with the idea of us exchanging gifts since our family's economics were at very different ends of the spectrum. It was stupid, but the DIY ornaments gave us an excuse to hang out more.

They bring a smile to my face. Tripps personalized ornament is a snowman with a barely discernible quote on one side reading 'u make me feel so loved it's unbelievable', and the other side being 'ur my angel'. And mine is a terribly drawn reindeer with only one quote on the back reading 'i'm scared all the time, except when i'm with you'.

And fuck, we were so blind before.

"What? There's limitations now? No way, Logan. I was okay with the cooking duties in this relationship, but now I also have to watch how much 'touch-time' I have a week? This is where I put my foot down!" There's a pout, there's gotta be - and it makes me roll my eyes fondly at his exaggerated statement.

Instead of responding right away, I decide to hang the two personalized ornaments next to each other near the top of the pine tree, getting on my tiptoes to hook them with the branches. A yelp escapes me as two hands go up my shorts, moving them aside to expose-

I blush at the realization. Buttplugs were one of the newer things we've begun using. And because Tripp likes playing with them and teasing me, I've made it a habit to not wear underwear when we're in the dorm house. That habit has also been paired with shorts that rested just below my ass and torn shirts that rise up my navel. Luckily, Liam had managed to apply for another dorm room the coming semester, and because classes begin in two weeks, the college allowed him to move into his room early — leaving me and Tripp alone once more.

"Tripp-" I whimper, feeling his two of his fingers sliding in alongside the buttplug, the dryness presenting a tiny flash of pain. My legs feel weak, but I push through, willing myself to stand upright on my knees and not the half-decorated Christmas tree.

"I think you're stretched enough. Come here, sweetheart, sit on my lap." It sounds like a suggestion, but it really isn't. And even if I want to say no, I kind of really don't. He pulls his fingers out alongside the lilac buttplug, and instead of simply sliding the shorts down, he slides them up higher on the curve of my ass. It's uncomfortable, that's the point, and the tightness of the fabric against the front of my dick and balls makes the idea of getting hard almost painful.

"Can I face you?" There's a tremble in my voice as the question escapes my throat. Instead of responding, Tripp's grip tightens around my hips and he quickly turns me. Our eyes meet and he smirks, and before I can realize what he's doing, he's leaned forward, warm mouth wrapping around where my member is through the thin fabric of my shorts and fingers pressing into the flesh of my ass.

A gasp escapes me as I surge forward and grip his shoulders, fingers digging into the flesh there. Tripp doesn't pay much attention to it, just enough to let me know he's teasing.

"Pretty little thing." He whispers when he pulls away. I make quick work of sitting on his lap, not wanting to risk him doing anymore to send me over the edge. He grins, probably realizing why my actions are so hurried before puckering his lips comically for a kiss. Unsurprisingly, the action makes my heart stutter, and a soft laugh escapes me as I decide to comply and peck his lips.

"You're so silly." I whisper, tone completely fond. Our eyes meet for a second and I can't help it really, "I love you."

Tears decorate his waterline, it was something we discovered when I first voiced my love for him. Tripp, ever the emotional, and ever the one most connected to his feelings, became a weeping, sobbing crybaby when I told him those 3 special words. I giggle as he sniffles, muttering the words back to me as I lean forward to kiss him again. The heat comes back quickly after that and soon enough I'm lifting on my knees as he pushes my shorts back up the curve of my ass, lining himself up.

"There we go," Tripp growls, teeth tugging at my lips as I lower myself on him. The stretch burns and I whimper at the intrusion making him caress my hips and soothe me quietly. "You're doing so well, sweetheart. Come on, sit on my cock."

A shudder shoots up my spine when I'm finally fully seated on him. Without hesitation, I grip his shoulders for support and start shifting my hips to get used to the stretch. Unlike the measly buttplugs, Tripp fills me perfectly, and that thought alone makes me moan softly. Once the burn becomes more bearable, I raise my hips slightly only to fall back down, earning a grunt from Tripp. Pushing my chest closer to his, I set up a steady pace, bouncing eagerly as we kiss.

Tripp's large hands grip my hips, helping me with my movements and keeping his gaze on me - expression soft and blissful. I whine when my legs begin to hurt, stopping to grind down against him. "Tripp, more." A stern gaze and a hot second later, "Please."

"Look at you, being so good for me." He praises, voice low and raspy. "I'll give you exactly what you want." Without warning, Tripp lifts me and places me on the table in front of the couch. The sudden showcase of strength makes me blush and throb, my member filling out and stretching painfully against my abdomen despite the fabric restraining me. I probably look terrible, but I can't bring myself to care when Tripps hand grip my legs, raising them as he starts snapping his hips.

I throw my head back against the table, moaning loudly as he hits my prostate effortlessly. "Yes, there, please!"

Tripp moans against my neck, lips marking the skin there as he fastens his pace. My hands reach out to the edges, gripping the ends of the table to ground myself. The table shakes slightly, and somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice reminds me not to do this again. But fuck that, because - "M'close, gonna come- Tripp."

"Go on then, Logan. Come for me." My thighs quiver, and Tripp grunts as I tighten around him. It isn't until my body locks in, and he buries in to the hilt, that we find our release; me releasing against the shorts, and Tripp deep inside me.

"Could've worn a condom." I whine as he pulls out, shoving the buttplug in its place to stop his release from spilling out. Like always, he's quick to bring me against his body, and let me cuddle against him, with provided snacks. Weirdly enough, I'm still not used to just sex, unlike when I was with girls, with Tripp it becomes overwhelming, and it always takes me a while to get back to my full senses.

"Could've, should've, sha-bang." Tripp shrugs, kissing my forehead and caressing my back. "We need to shower anyway for our guests."

"Together?' I ask, pressing my face into his neck. He nods, but we stay like that, wrapped in warmth, and each other until the snack bowl is nearly empty.

-

Tripp's parents are the first to arrive. Everything has been cleaned up, and the musky scent that usually fills the air after sex is long-gone, replaced with the smell of Christmas candles. His mom bursts through the door, presence strong as she takes everything in, her third husband standing behind her with an apologetic smile.

"Logan!" My heart jumps at being addressed, and I do a last minute scan of the living room quickly before making my way over to her. Her arms are outstretched, head tilted in the manner that let's me know that she's expecting a kiss on her cheek. I do both; give her a hug and kiss, before stepping away to do the same with her husband. While he isn't Tripp's biological father, he raised Tripp like he was, and really that's all that matters. "It feels like ages since I last saw you, you're so handsome. And I'm glad to see that my investment in this shabby place paid off, you both have done a wonderful job with the place."

It takes me a second to register Tripp's presence behind me but when I do I quickly lean back against him. His mom smiles at us, cooing softly as she gives a nod in approval. "You guys look happy. Finally, Logan, you don't know how many hours of Logan-talk I had to endure for the past four years."

She says exasperatedly, making herself comfortable as she makes her way into the kitchen, looking at everything in the foil containers before going one-by-one and tasting each of them. I raise an eyebrow at her statement, peering up at Tripp with a questioning gaze. Tripp was already looking away, cheeks burning. "Logan-talk?"

"Yes." His dad began, placing his and his wife's coats on the couch. "Tripp was, quite frankly, obsessed with you during the first years of your friendship. It toned down a bit during the years but his feelings for you only seemed to grow tenfold."

Scratch what I said before, I was the only one that was blind.

I turn to Tripp and send him an apologetic look, which he meets with a blinding smile. As his parents make themselves comfortable on the kitchen counter, I lean back against his chest, "Would you have ever told me if it didn't turn out the way it did?"

A flash of guilt flashes through Tripps gaze, "I don't think I would. It took me forever to tell you the truth with how things turned out, and in all honesty, my only goal is your happiness. Even when you started avoiding me, I began convincing myself that maybe it would be best to not be involved in your life."

Before I can turn to apologize, he is firmly gripping my chin. "There's no need to apologize or doubt what you did. We were both scared of how the other would react about our true feelings, and that's alright. We've moved past that, have communicated, and we're here now."

And that's true, I turn to peck his lips, silently thanking him for his reassuring words.

"Are you guys done?" I jump, startled at how close the other voice is, and turn to find Kyle standing next to Kai. He's wearing the same bored expression as always, the only thing giving him away being a small twinkle of amusement present in his eyes. Behind him, there's a mop of brown curls and peeking light brown eyes, I can only assume it's Monroe. A twinge of pain surges through my chest at the recognition. As mentioned prior, I wasn't the nicest person in highschool, and while I certainly wasn't the worst, I still did some terrible things.

"Monroe, right?" The question leaves me as Tripp greets Kyle and Kai, introducing them to his parents and giving me and Monroe some privacy. Monroe bounces towards me, hair flopping around wildly as he stops in front of me with an outstretched hand.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again Logan. I hope you're doing well?" He questions as I take his hand and give it a firm shake. There's nothing in his face that makes me weary, no hate, or fear, just happiness -openness. It makes me not want to bring up highschool, and not want to apologize to him. But that would be cowardly, and it is something he deserves.

"I am, what about you?" Monroe's eyes travel behind me, probably towards my brother, and his already soft expression softens even more if possible.

"I'm doing really well. And, where before I wouldn't, I am now looking towards the future and it's possibilities." The words make me flinch, and my mouth opens as I ready myself to apologize. "You don't have to apologize, Logan. I've forgiven you, and I have moved past it. I couldn't date your brother without forgiving you."

My hands clench at my sides at the information, "But I still - I'm sorry, Monroe. For everything, for the words, and the glares, and the shoves. You're not abnormal, or a freak. You're exactly who you need to be, and I'm sorry if I ever made you feel otherwise."

His gaze softens, "Thank you Logan." And as though he understands everything, as though he has also went through what I did, he adds, "There's no more fear."

"No," I agree, turning to look into the kitchen. Tripps parents are seated on the counter chairs, talking animatedly with Kyle and Kai, and Logan has welcomed in Liam, discussing their future college classes since they're getting the same degree. The dorm home is warm, and bright, and it's family. Without knowing it, this has become my family. I outstretch my arm, and Monroe immediately understands, hugging me tightly. "There's no more fear."