Christmas is, among other things, the time for surprises. And neither Monty nor Henry had made the main surprise: throwing a snowball. Despite his forgetfulness, Henry remembered that a sneaky bunch of snow could fly into his back any moment, and Monty just couldn’t look away from his lover for a long enough time.
They had finished their traditional walk in Central Park, skates hanging from their shoulders, and were approaching their house when it struck Monty.
He suddenly crouched by a lamppost and said as Henry stopped: “Just need to tie my laces!” As if on cue, a couple with a tram came their way (Mony of course noticed them before), making Henry take a step back. Obscured by the lamppost, Monty quickly scooped some snow. As soon as it turned into a small ball it was hurled into Henry’s shoulder.
“Oi!” Henry exclaimed, looking at his arm and then at Monty. Who, grinning, rushed to heir house. Something met his back, and he laughed mischievously. Henry ran after him, oblivious to everyone’s bemused looks.
Monty left the door open for Henry and caught him in an embrace the moment he entered, catching his cold lips in a warm kiss. ‘Enery came from the kitchen where he was sleeping and touched Henry’s leg with a paw.
“I won,” Monty whispered and picked ‘Enery up like the main prize.
“Mm, for once.” Chuckling, Henry accepted a nudge from Monty to stroke their cat. It was true, somehow Henry was more cunning when it came to snowfights. Monty had a reason for celebration. “I let you win.”
“Oh right, of course!” Monty scoffed. Humming a triumphant march, he carefully took off Henry’s eye patch. Soon they left their coats and scarves behind and only the soft blush left by the cold reminded of their walk.
“Let’s see what your sisters got for us,” Henry said, tapping Monty on the nose and smiling at how his eyes lit up with excitement. “They sounded very intriguing…”
Monty’s sisters, Laura and Florence, came with a big bundle that they asked to open in the evening. Both lovers had spent plenty of time wondering what could be inside, and now they were very impatient. Monty even walked past all the mistletoes he placed strategically all around the house to kiss Henry at leisure.
The bundle sat beneath the decorated tree in the library, just as the lovers left it. Well, there was a small claw mark, but ‘Enery looked absolutely innocent when his owners addressed him a mock glare.
“I see someone has been as curious as us,” Henry concluded.
Monty did the honours of opening the present. “It’s something soft…” he said, tearing the wrapping apart. A piece of it nearly landed on the candle on the tree’s branch, but Henry caught it in time. “Oh! Henry, look!” Delighted beyond reason, Monty held a blue sweater against his chest. “They made these for all of us! Even for ‘Enery!”
The cat looked up curiously and saw a smaller and red sweater that Monty was holding. He was allowed to sniff it, but only for a few seconds. The men were too impatient to try it on.
“Let’s hope he didn’t gain weight again…” Henry murmured and took ‘Enery to put the sweater on him. The cat struggled at first, not sure what was going on, but calmed down eventually.
Monty let out an indescribable noise of delight mixed with amusement. The chubby cat looked even more adorable in his new attire than usual. ‘Enery wriggled a little and then decided that he liked it too. When he looked up again, it was as if he was asking, “Well, what about you?”
The two lovers understood him and quickly changed into their sweaters, smiling giddily. All at once they felt very cosy.
“The colour is perfect, especially for you. And it’s so soft!” Monty exclaimed, looking down at his sweater and passing a hand over it. At this moment it seemed that he would never take it off.
Henry used this opportunity to step away and pick something from a shelf. Upon returning, he scooped ‘Enery up, approached Monty and dangled a mistletoe over their heads. Another surprise, and now Henry’s undisputable win.
“Merry Christmas, my bijou,” he said softly and smiled when Monty, overcome with excitement, kissed him without a word, sweetening the kiss with a smile.
