#if anything looks weird it's because i glazed this and also i'm bad at drawing

[okdesk]

i'm 10 years late

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

I imagine Nick and Jai becoming a travel vlogger/blogger. Like Jai is the one behind the camera and Nick is like the one who talks and show people around. hahaha! i'm sorry this is out of nowhere, I really loved Adilting 101 and Nick and Jai

That would work so well for them! Nick would be so excitable in front of the camera, because everything is new and amazing to him! 

If you enjoyed Adulting 101, here’s a short Christmas story I wrote for them for a blog tour I did: 

Nickwakes up hot, with Jai plastered up against him, which is weird, becauseusually Nick is the one who goes all octopus in their sleep, and it’s a littlebit gross because they’re both slick with sweat where their bodies aretouching. But it’s also awesome, because Nick has a boyfriend and that boyfriend is Jai Hazenbrook. Jai is still the hottestguy that Nick has seen in all of his eighteen years—almost nineteen,thankyou—and somehow Nick is hitting that.

He’sstill not entirely sure how it happened, honestly. Like, they had this hook upthing first, and then this friends with benefits thing, and now they’re boyfriends.

Whateverthough, right? Nick’s not going to look this incredibly attractive gift horse inthe mouth.

Heunpeels himself from Jai’s side, rolls out of the narrow bed that wasoptimistically called a double by the hostel owners, and pads down the hallwayin his boxers to use the bathroom.

It’shot. Like, not sweltering or anything, but still super hot. Because it’sChristmas Eve, and no way should Nick be able to wander around in just hisboxers without freezing his balls off. The whole thing is making him…nothomesick exactly—he figures that he’s saving that for Christmas Day—but alittle wrong-footed somehow. Like logically Nick knows that half the world hasa summer Christmas. But when they were in the town center yesterday and Nickwas wiping sweat off the back of his neck while surrounded by tinsel andbaubles? It’s weird and wrong and Nick does not cope well with change.

Nickuses the bathroom, and then heads back down the hallway toward the room heshares with Jai. He covers a yawn with his hand and mumbles a good morning atone of the Japanese girls who arrived late last night.

Jaiis still sleeping when Nick gets back, and Nick takes a moment to bask in thesheer glory that is his boyfriend. And then, because he’s still half-asleephimself, Nick climbs back into bed, plasters himself against Jai, and divesheadfirst back into a warm, sweaty sleep.

***

Nickhas no money. Neither does Jai, but for some reason Jai seems to be okay withthis. He’s happy wandering the aisles of the local Countdown, checking out thedented tins, the slightly squashed produce, and anything teetering right on theedge of its Best Before date.

Nickis pretty sure they’re having canned tomatoes, sardines and pasta for Christmaslunch tomorrow.

Andhe’s totally okay with that.

Really.

Heis.

Totally.

Shutup.

Nicksquares his shoulders, ignores the massive display of glazed hams, refuses toeven glance at the gingerbread, and manfully adds a bag of chickpeas to theirbasket.

***

Theyeat lunch in the middle of the Octagon, sitting on the grass and watching thepeople go by. It’s all very festive and whatnot, but it still doesn’t feel likea real Christmas. This is a weird-ass backward New Zealand Christmas.

Thesun beats down on Nick’s shoulders.

“Youokay?” Jai asks him, looking up from his notebook.

Jaiis always writing things in his notebook. He’s the one that figures out thebudget, and their travel plans, and—as far as Nick knows—is probably writing acomprehensive list of all the things Nick does that annoy the absolute shit outof him.

“Yeah,”Nick says. “Totally.”

Totally.

***

Nick’snot-homesickness hits later in the afternoon, when he and Jai are meanderingdown a street somewhere near the center of town. Nick is not super good withdirections, or with knowing where he is at any given point in time. Jai is likea fucking homing pigeon though, so it all works out.

“Doesit feel like Christmas to you?” he blurts outside a gift shop selling way toomany sheep-related things.

Jailooks at him, brows raised. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay,”Nick says, because clearly Jai answered that question wrong and Nick needs tomake him see the error of his ways. “But there’s like no snow, and no Devon,and no Mom and Dad, and those are all totally things I am totally dealing with,right?”

“Totally,”Jai deadpans.

Whatan asshole!

“So.”Nick wrinkles his nose. “It’s not thosethings, or even the fact that your daypack is full of really, really sad food.It’s just… Christmas is supposed to be special, Jai, like presents special, and we don’t have any money to spend on presentsand that sucks.”

“Areyou regretting buying that giant tuatara in Rotorua?”

“No!”Nick lies.

Jai’smouth quirks up in a smile. “I got us a present, Nick.”

“What?”Nick punches him in the shoulder reflexively. Jai’s tough. He can take it.“When? What did you get us? Where is it?”

Jai’ssmile grows. He reaches out and takes Nick by the hand, and leads him down thestreet. They’re heading back toward the Octagon maybe? Nick really has no idea.Like maybe he’s passed these shops and things before, or maybe everything justlooks familiar because he’s stuck in the Matrix. It could be either.

“Imean…” Nick begins, and discovers his voice is smaller than he thought it wouldbe. “It’s my first Christmas away from home, you know?”

“Iget it, Nick,” Jai says, squeezing his hand and drawing him around the corner,and oh, yeah, they’re totally back in the Octagon. Nick’s sense of directionFTW! He’s still not entirely sure where they’re going though, not until helooks up and sees it.

Theshiny black posters in front of the cinema.

“Jai,”he says in a very reasonable tone. “Are we going to… Is…Please don’t be teasingme here right now, because, if you are, I will probably have to stab you.”

“Seemsa little excessive,” Jai comments, and then the blast of air conditioning fromthe cinema foyer is hitting Nick right in the face. Bringing him out in chills,actually.

“Iordered the tickets online last night,” Jai says, digging his phone out of hispocket and showing Nick the email confirmation. “And we’re getting popcorn too.”

Rogue One and popcorn!

AndJai and New Zealand!

Butmostly Rogue One!

Okay.No. Bad Nick. Bad boyfriend Nick.

Hesqueezes Jai’s hand hard as they join the queue, and bounces up and down on histoes.

“Youare the best boyfriend ever,” he says. “And this is going to be the best movieever!”

Jailaughs, and pulls him closer. “Merry Christmas, Nick.”

Andoh, yes, there it is. There’s what Nick needed to make it feel like Christmas.And it turns out that it’s not the weather, or the place, or the even thepresents. It’s the words; said with a smile, said with love. Nick grins andfills with warmth as he echoes them back to Jai:

“MerryChristmas.”