Just Lillian and her family, with Brayden in tow, gathered in the living room. Die Hard played on the TV, apparently it was a Christmas classic here. They watched quietly, the first silence all day. Brayden was tucked into a corner of the loveseat, Lillian nestled between his thighs. Brayden played with her hair absently, glancing to the pin Hallie had insisted he put on his shirt. One of the cats, Brayden simply forgot existed, had come out of hiding and was taking up the whole other seat on the couch. Lillian’s parents sat snuggled up on the bigger sectional, with Alex and Liam sprawled out across the rest of it. Everyone appeared just barely conscious. When the movie ended deep groans roused out of the brothers forcing themselves up.

“Alright, you guys know the drill.” Mrs. T gestured to the tree.

Brayden looked down confused at Lillian.

“You’ll see.” She grinned up at him.

Two presents were plopped into Lillian’s lap by Alex, Lillian passed one to Brayden.

Her eyes glittered with amusement. She gestured for him to open it, and her family watched. All that panic and dread packing his clothes the night before, wasted. Her family seemed determined to make him feel welcome and not left out. He looked at Mrs. T confused, and back at the Christmas pajamas now in his lap.

“I think Lily mentioned it, we had some running bets.” Was all she said, with a shrug.

He looked back down at the soft fleece bottoms, with little images of mistletoe on them, and the plain black shirt to go with it.

“Thank you.” He mustered out before he started to laugh.

“You know I’m 23, right?” Liam cried from across the room, holding up Christmas spider-man PJ’s.

Alex howled, at the big Spider-Man in a Christmas hat on the top, with matching blue bottoms covered in webs and snowflakes. Alex promptly stopped howling when he held up his own. A big ugly reindeer looked at him, with all the Christmas additives, with pants covered in sleighs. He grimaced and sighed.

“Yes!” Lillian cheered, sticking her tongue out at her brothers.

They protested profusely when they saw her pajamas. The matching set to Brayden’s was held up for her brothers to cry over.

“Suckers.” She grinned.

“Favouritism!”

“Where is the holiday spirit!” The boys yelled.

“Shush.” Mrs. T commanded.

They continued to grumble half-heartedly.

“Thank you.” Rang out from the three in unison.

“Well go on.” Her mother shooed them away.

Lillian dragged Brayden downstairs. He caught her around the waist as they entered her room and tumbled into her bed. She straddled him, gently pressing a soft kiss on his lips. Brayden’s finger crawled up the backs of her thighs and under her dress, where his fingers met the stretchy material of shorts.

“You’re such a good girl.” He teased. “You know I thought I spied these when I tried to sneak a peek earlier.” Pulling at the bottom of them.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She scolded back.

“I just thought maybe when I did get my hands on you, I’d find red Christmas panties under here.” He smirked at her. “I’ve never come across shorts in the wild.” He observed.

“Is that a problem?” Her eyes narrowed.

“No, it just attests to the fact I must not have known very many nice girls.” Reaching up and kissing her gently.

His hands splayed wide over her shorts, and he snickered. Pecking rapid fire kisses on her face. She batted him away and crawled out of his lap.

“Alright come on.” Standing up and gesturing to him.

“Come on what? You know I can’t just do it on command right?” He gestured back.

“Oh my god. No. Change, my mother fully expects you back upstairs in your new present so she can look at us.”

“She does know you’re 25, right?”

“Her reasoning is, if we live under her roof, she gets to dote. It’s not like we have any like, I don’t know, rules? We keep the house clean and pay $500 a month and she feeds us, it’s just a better deal while we’re all in school.” Lillian shrugged. “Besides even if we didn’t live here, I think she’d still expect us to put these monstrosities on, she gets a kick out of it.”

“It must be nice, having such a good relationship with your parents, and they can afford to let you live here like this.” Brayden added.

“We’re extremely lucky, and I’m so grateful she gives us this chance.” Lillian smiled at him. “Quickly now.” Gesturing to his clothes and not him, he realized.

He shrugged off his shirt quickly, unpinning his gift from Hallie and tucking it back in box he had in his pocket. His jeans quickly followed. He stood in his Christmas boxers, with a cheeky grin on his face. Lillian’s eyes danced across his chest and torso, before quickly dipping lower, then averting her gaze.

“You said quickly.” Brayden baited.

“Just put your clothes on.” She muttered before turning around. “Can you help with the zipper?” She added quietly.

“Of course.” Brayden stepped closer to her, brushing her hair out of the way before slowly dragging the zipper on the back of her dress down.

“Thank you.” She said hoarsely.

Brayden ripped his own clothes on quickly. Just waiting to be dismissed. To his surprise, he watched her shuffle the shorts off under her dress carefully, holding the front of her dress up with one hand, before she let it drop to the floor. She was still turned away from him, but he could see the bare expanse of her back, and the little red Christmas thong he’d bought her. He groaned deeply, his hands reaching for her bare waist. She shot him an evil look over her shoulder.

“Don’t even think about it.” She shot at him before grabbing the shirt off the dresser in front of her and pulling it over her head.

Brayden made a distressed sound as she pulled her matching bottoms on.

“That was unnecessarily cruel.” He muttered in her ear on their way back up the stairs.

He felt her silent laugh at his expanse in the hand he placed on her back. A quick poke in her side and she yelped. This time Brayden laughed quietly.

Mrs. T inspected them each. Everyone laughing loudly at Liam and Alex’s presentations.

“Yes, yes very funny.” Alex muttered, doing slow spin.

Their mother was wiping tears from her eyes at the end.

“Easily the best part of Christmas.” She exclaimed. “Now all of you can politely fuck off, I need space to prepare myself for tomorrow.” Shooing her children out of the room.

A chorus of

“Night Mum.”

Followed as they all fumbled down the stairs.

“Alright it is… 10 o’clock, one more round of cards anyone?” Alex asked the room.

“Fine.” Liam conceded.

Lillian looked at Brayden, asking him what he wanted to do.

“Yes. ONE round.” Brayden warned.