A/N: Merry christmas, beaut! I loved writing this soft dad!ash for you, I hope you enjoy it <3
***
Rosie has been glum for days. Which was most unusual, especially given the time of year.
You, Ashton and her little sister Ava, have tried various things to cheer her up. Nothing seems to have worked, though. No amount of games, movies or hot chocolates have helped to bring a smile to her face.
Yesterday the six-year-old had confessed that she was sad for two reasons:
She misses her friends now that she has no school for two weeks.
2. The constant rain keeping her indoors doesn’t feel very ‘Christmassy’.
Ashton seemed particularly moved by your daughter’s admission and had lain awake in bed last night trying to think of ways to cheer her up. When you’d woken up this morning, your husband had already left the house. He’d text you to let you know he’d gone shopping and taken Ava with him. Rosie seemed a little disappointed that she hadn’t been invited on the impromptu trip but you had a sneaking suspicion that wherever they’d gone, it was for Rosie's benefit.
Your elder daughter had sat in the big armchair near the window, staring forlornly out into the damp garden until Ashton and Ava had returned. Rosie had perked up a little, noticing that they had a whole load of various sized shopping bags with them.
When asked where they’d been, your three-year-old and your husband simply tapped their noses and asked you to keep Rosie in the living room whilst they set up a surprise.
That had been over two hours ago. During that time, you’ve heard a lot of giggling and what sounds suspiciously like furniture being moved around.
“It sounds like they're having lots of fun.” Rosie sighs, glancing towards the door that leads through to the dining room.
You couldn’t really argue with her. Whatever Ashton and Ava were doing, certainly didn’t sound like work. “Well I’m sure we’ll find out what they’ve been up to soon enough,sweetheart.” You smile, trying to reassure her. “Why don’t we watch another Disney movie while we wait?”
Rosie shrugs, turning her attention back to the window. It’s still stormy outside and large rain droplets trail across the gleaming glass as you watch. “I wish I could play outside.”
“Perhaps we can give uncle Calum a call later, we could all get our wellies on and take Duke for a walk?”
Your daughter seems to cheer up a tiny bit at the prospect of getting see one of her favourite uncles and his little pooch. “Duke likes splashing in the puddles with me.” She giggles, her hazel eyes glimmering brighter than they had for days. “He got very muddy last time, though.”
You’re happy to see Rosie display some semblance of a positive emotion and you smile proudly at her. “I’m sure your Uncle Cal won’t mind that much.”
Rosie giggles as she finally slips off of the armchair in favour of joining you on the sofa. “Will Daddy and Ava come, too?”
“I’m sure they will if they finish whatever they’re up to in the dining room.” You reply, cuddling your little girl close. “I have a bad feeling that it’ll involve me cleaning up a lot of mess afterwards!”
Before rosie can voice any more of her thoughts on her father’s antics, the man in question emerges from the dining room, a proud smile on his handsome face and a giddy looking Ava at his side. “We’re almost ready for you two to see what we’ve been doing!” Ashton announces. “We just have two little things left to do.” He explains, “The first is making lunch, which shouldn’t take me long.”
“What’s the other thing?” You ask suspiciously, slightly concerned about what your husband is planning.
“Well that’s the fun part, isn’t it, Ava?” He asks, glancing down at your youngest daughter.
“Onesies!” Ava yells, bouncing up and down on the balls of her tiny feet, her loose brunette curls tumbling haphazardly around her face.
You exchange a confused glance with Rosie as Ava grabs you both by the hand.
“That’s right.” Ashton chuckles. “You all need to put your onesies on, I’ll join you as soon as I’ve made lunch.” He aims a wink at you before disappearing into the kitchen.
“C’mon!” Ava urges impatiently. “Onesies!”
“But it’s the middle of the day.” Rosie objects, “We can’t put onesies on, we might be going to walk Duke with uncle Cal.”
Ava shakes her head. “No walks! Onesies and fun!” She shrieks before pulling you and Rosie towards the hallway.
“What have you and Daddy been up to, cheeky?” You ask, lifting your toddler into your arms.
“It’s a secret!” Ava giggles, wriggling out of your hold before you even reach the stairs. “I want my roo!”
Your heart melts at the way your youngest daughter pronounces kangaroo. She’s one of the most adorable little people on the planet, you’re sure of that.
“Me too.” Rosie smiles, taking her little sister's hand to help her up the stairs.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that these two perfect little angels are yours. It’s easy to see that a lot of their physical and personality traits are inherited from their father and you couldn’t be more happy about that.
When the three of you reach the top of the stairs, you watch the girls disappear into their respective rooms before heading to your own. The sound of Ava scurrying into Rosie’s room a moment later, followed by her rather loud request for help getting into her onesie, makes you impossibly more fond of your babies.
It isn’t long until the two little kangaroos come bounding into your room, both giggling excitedly as you finish buttoning up your tiger onesie. “Look at you two, Daddy loves when you wear those!” You smile lovingly. “Shall we go and see if your dad’s finished making lunch?”
Both children nod as they pile back out onto the landing before leading the way downstairs. Ashton’s already waiting for you in the hallway, grinning proudly. “I’m just gonna put by polar bear onesie on, then we’ll be all set for the surprise!” He explains, ruffling Ava’s hair and placing a kiss to the top of rosie’s head. “Wait in the living room, yeah?” He adds to you before pecking a kiss to the end of your nose.
Your curiosity is begging to become unbearable but you do as you’re told regardless, not wanting to ruin Ashton’s surprise.
The girls scurry into the sitting room, bouncing onto the sofa to wait for you. “Is the surprise something fun, Ava?” Rosie asks, her hazel eyes gleaming with excitement.
Your younger daughter nods so enthusiastically that you’re sure she must feel dizzy afterwards. “So fun!” She squeals, glancing over at you and motioning for you to sit next to her.
“I’m just gonna tidy up for a minute, you two sit and watch TV until Daddy comes back downstairs, okay?”
Neither of your daughters seem too bothered about your decision not sit with them. They turn back to each other to start a whispered conversation as you begin gathering up the last pair of hot chocolate mugs you’d left on the coffee table a little while ago. Heading into the kitchen, you’re more than a little tempted to take a detour into the dining room to see what the big surprise is. Luckily, the sight of the picnic that Ashton had prepared in the kitchen catches your eye and you examine the delicious looking snacks before cleaning the mugs in the sink.
Before you’ve finished the washing up, you feel a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist. “You’re meant to be making sure the girls stay in the living room.” Ashton whispers, placing a kiss to your cheek.
“I was tidying up!” You reply, giggling a little at the way his stubble tickles your face. “We can’t both be the fun parents! One of us has to do the boring stuff.”
“Well there’s nothing boring about what I have planned for us later.” Your husband growls suggestively into your ear. “This surprise is half designed to tire the girls out so that they’ll go to bed quickly tonight.”
“Ohh you want us to have an early night of our own, huh?” You ask, turning in Ashton’s arms to face him. “I like that plan, Mr Irwin.” You stretch up to kiss him, wrapping your arms around his neck and allowing the thoughts of what the two of you might get up to later, fill your mind for a little while.
A loud “Eww!” disrupts your blissful moment with Ashton and the two of you break apart to see both of your daughters standing at the kitchen door, disgruntled expressions set on their cute little faces.
“Don’t ‘eww’ at us, you little kangaroos!” Ashton laughs. “One day you might fall in love and then I’ll creep up behind you and make pukey noises when you kiss them!”
The girls share a sceptical glance as though very the thought of falling in love is the most ridiculous thing they’ve ever heard. You kind of hope they keep that view for a while so that they can stay as your little babies for a long as possible.
“Can we have the surprise now?” Rosie asks, choosing to mostly ignore her father’s words.
“I just have to go and set the picnic up in the dining room.” Ashton replies, the excitement in his beautiful hazel eyes almost matching that of his daughters’. “You wanna carry in that little tray of cakes for me, Ava?” He adds nodding to said tray on the countertop.
Your youngest daughter makes grabby hands for the cakes before you pass them down to her. Rosie comes over to cuddle into your side as Ashton and Ava make a couple more trips in and out of the kitchen to carry the picnic into the dining room bit-by-bit.
Once the last couple of plates and the jug of juice have been carried out of the kitchen, Rosie begins to bounce excitedly on the balls of her feet. “When can we go in?” She asks impatiently.
Before you can even reply, your husband yells that the two of you can come to the dining room. It’s entirely possible that you’re just as excited and curious as your six-year-old as you take Rosie’s hand and lead the way out of the kitchen.
The two of you hear a Christmas tune playing as you make your way to the dining room. Some strange lights seem to drift past the open doorway and your confusion builds until Rosie loses her patience and breaks into a little run, pulling you closer to the room in question.
As soon as the two of you enter the dining room, Ava and Ashton yell “surprise!” in unison, gesturing around the room to encourage you take in all of the details.
It’s immediately obvious how much effort your husband and youngest daughter have put into the mini winter wonderland they’ve created. It’s hard to hold back a happy tear or two as you watch Rosie’s face light up with the biggest smile you’d seen her make in days.
Ava steps forward to take Rosie’s hand, instantly dragging her around the room to look at all of the different little details.
“You’ve really outdone yourself, Mr Irwin.” You gasp, glancing around the room, struggling to take it all in.
You assume that your dining table and chairs have been stacked behind the black sheet that Ashton has hung from the ceiling. It doubles as a backdrop for the pretty snowflake shaped lights that you realise are being generated by a little projector that he’d set on the floor in the opposite corner of the room. Other types of fake snow including a fluffy ‘snow blanket’ and some of the powdered type cover various patches of your beloved hardwood floors. It’s hard to care too much about the inevitable tidying and vacuuming you’ll have to do later, when your tired old dining room looks so beautiful.
“We used the old tree!” Ava beams, pointing at the dishevelled little old Christmas tree in the corner. You’d meant to throw it out after you took it down after last Christmas, but you’d forgotten. Suddenly, you’ve never been more gland that Ashton had piled clutter in front of it throughout the year so you’d never remembered to get rid of it. Even though it’s quite a small tree, it looks incredibly pretty, decorated with this year’s surplus ornaments and baubles that hadn’t made it onto your main tree in the sitting room, along with some mismatched tinsel and cheap fairy lights that Ashton must have purchased this morning.
“It looks so pretty!” Rosie squeals! “I love all the snow too!”
Ashton smiles proudly, scooping his eldest daughter up into his arms and kissing her cheek. “Has it cheered you up, princess?” He asks fondly?”
Rosie nods as she throws her arms around her dad’s neck. “Thank you Daddy!”
“And thank you Ava!” You add, ruffling your youngest daughter’s hair. “But can we eat now, I’m a very hungry tiger!”
Both of your children giggle as Ashton puts Rosie down so that she can lead the way to the little picnic he’d set out on a blanket and surrounded with comfy cushions for you all to sit on.
“The best thing about having an indoor picnic, is that we can wear our onesies and enjoy all of this snow whilst still being toasty and warm!” Ashton explains, plonking himself onto the biggest cushion.
The girls agree enthusiastically as they settle down on either side of him. You don’t think that your heart has ever felt this full before. As you watch your husband, dressed in his comical polar bear onesie place some sandwiches on little plastic plates for your two little kangaroos, you feel like you’ve never been happier.
A/N: It’s AU Week! Sorry Angst week was a bust, I was away for most of it but I will try my best to put up the requests I got over time! I hope you enjoy this!
***
So many people had warned you against this.
You’d heard the sentence; ‘Michael can barely take care of himself, let alone a baby!’ too many times to count. You’ve always knows better than that. So what if he’s not the world’s best cook? Who cares if it takes him a little longer to do the laundry because the washing machine confuses him? None of that has ever meant that he wouldn’t be a good father. From the very first discussion you’d had with him about having children, you’d known that Michael was destined to be a dad and that he’d be an incredible one when the time came.
Thank goodness you had trusted your instincts. If you’d let those people get to you, you wouldn’t be snuggled up in bed right now, watching your beautiful husband pace up and down in front of the window, rocking your tiny baby daughter in his arms.
“Shh, my little angel.” Michael coos gently, his voice is gravelly and thick with sleep, but his tone is soft. You’ve never seen anyone radiate more love than Michael is in this moment. His green eyes are practically glowing in the moonlight as he looks down at the bundle in his arms. “Daddy’s here, you’re safe.”
The baby continues to cry, possibly even louder than before. She raises her tiny little fists as her cheeks turn crimson. No matter how loud she cries, Michael still stares down at her as though she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “You’ve already been changed and fed, it’s time for sleep.”
In the few short weeks since she arrived, baby Leia has made it very clear that she’s as clingy as her dad. Despite being barely a month old, you’re pretty sure that she’s already worked out that she typically gets put back down in her bassinet after being changed and fed.
“Do you want me to try?” You offer, shuffling into a sitting position.
Michael shakes his head, glancing over at you. “No, go back to sleep, gorgeous.” He insists. “I can take care of this little one.”
You chuckle, swinging your legs out of the bed. “It’s kind of hard to sleep when she’s screaming like that.”
“No, don’t get up!” Michael frowns, rocking the baby a little faster in an attempt to settle her. “You need some rest, I’ll take Leia downstairs so you can sleep.”
Shaking your head, you get to your feet and pad over to your husband, pecking a kiss to his cheek before stroking your daughter’s face gently. “I need to pee, anyway.” You shrug, “It was supposed to be my turn to get up as well.” You aim an almost stern look at Michael. He’s been getting up for more than his fair share of night feeds. “You need to rest, too.”
Michael huffs, hugging baby Leia closer to his bare chest. “I’ve always been a night owl. Let me put that trait to good use for once.”
As true as Michael’s statement is, you’re concerned he’s going to burn himself out. “You already have, babe.” You smile lovingly, poking the end of Michael’s nose before turning towards the door. “I’m going to pee, then you’re going to bed whilst I try to settle the little diva.”
“Well she is named after a space princess.” Michael chuckles. “We should have known she’d be a demanding little madam.”
You laugh as you head into the bathroom. “She takes after her dad, then!”
Michael’s disgruntled muttering follows you out onto the landing as you continue to giggle to yourself. It’s surprising how much the short distance between the bedroom and the bathroom, dulls the sounds of crying and you unintentionally take a bit longer than is absolutely necessary to pee, savouring the near silence of the dark, tiled room.
Finally deciding that it’s time to be getting back to help your husband out with the crying infant, you wash your hands and head over to the bedroom. As you step foot out on the landing, at first you think you must have suddenly gone suddenly deaf, Leia’s loud wailing isn’t assaulting your eardrums anymore. You cautiously bad over to the bedroom door, the squeaky floorboard half way between the bathroom and master bedroom proving that your ears are, in fact, still working.
When you creep back into the bedroom, you find Michael sitting on the chair near the window, Leia curled up on his bare chest like a tiny sleeping angel. When she’s quiet, it’s easy to see why Michael gave her that nickname. She looks so soft, snuggled in her little grey sleepsuit with a kitten pattern on it.
Your husband looks up at you with the perfect mixture of love and pride written all over his face as you tiptoe over to him, picking up a knitted yellow blanket from the bassinet en-route. “She’s such a little daddy’s girl.” You whisper peering down at your sleeping daughter as you wrap the blanket around her. “I’m gonna have my work cut out to get your attention from now on, aren’t I?”
“There’s plenty of me to go around.” Michael replies, giggling quietly.
A/N: Merry Christmas my lovely! I’m so happy you enjoyed the last blurb about this lil family, I hope you like this one too!
***
The late afternoon sunshine bathed the nursery in a serene light, making the sleeping baby look even more like an angel, all bundled up in her bassinet.
Michael has barely taken his eyes off of his new baby daughter since the second he met her in the early hours of the morning.
Just like the twins, baby Summer shares a lot of Calum’s physical features and Michael wouldn’t be surprised if this tiny new edition to his family ends up looking even more like his husband than Tama and Bonnie.
Smiling fondly, Michael strokes the sleeping infant’s cheek gently, savouring the peace and quiet before Calum returns with the twins. “You’re gonna meet your big brother and sister in a minute, little angel.” He whispers, “they both sounded so excited on the phone when we told them you were home.”
Summer stirs, parting her tiny lips in her sleep as she curls her hands into cute little fists.
Every single movement she makes has Michael’s heart exploding with love. He experiences that on some level, every single day with the twins, but now there’s another bundle of joy in his life, too and couldn’t be more excited about it.
If he was entirely honest with himself, he’d been nervous about the arrival of the new baby. He still isn’t sure how the change in routine will affect the day to day running of his household but now that she’s here, he knows that any ‘bump in the road’ will be more than worth getting over.
Just as he begins to contemplate leaving Summer’s side for the first time since she was born, so that he can grab a quick snack, Michael hears Calum’s car pull up in the driveway. “That’s it, Summer.” He chuckles softly, “our peace and quiet is over.”
The faint thudding of car doors closing and the muted excitable chatter from out on the driveway brings a smile to Michael’s face. As much as he’s enjoyed having time alone with his new baby, finally having his whole family together is something he’s been excited for since he first got the news that their surrogate was pregnant.
He heads out onto the landing just in time to see Calum open the front door.
“Remember to keep your voices down, kiddos.” Calum reminds the six-year-olds as they scurry into the house before kicking off their shoes.
“Where is she Daddy?” Tama asks, heading towards the living room, almost tripping over one of the cats in the process.
“Up here buddy!” Michael calls as quietly as possible whilst still ensuring he could be heard down in the hallway.
Three pairs of beautiful chocolate brown eyes snap up to look at him. “Daddy!” The children chorus, causing Calum to shush them once more.
“Indoor voices, please angels.” Calum sighs, aiming an exhausted grin up to his husband. “Is she sleeping?” He asks as the twins start their ascent towards Michael.
The blonde man nods, stifling a yawn as he greets the twins with a soft cuddle. “Are you two ready to meet your little sister?” He asks, a huge smile taking over his face.
Tama and Bonnie nod enthusiastically, grinning toothily as they wait for Calum to join them at the top of the stairs.
Once the whole family is gathered on the landing, Michael leads the way into the nursery. It’s a rather small room, but prettily decorated in soft pastel shades of yellow and cream. The twins had helped pick out paint colours and furniture pieces which had encouraged them to feel involved in the whole process and make them excited rather than nervous for the huge change in the family dynamic.
“Okay why don’t you two go and squeeze on the big armchair with daddy?” Calum asks, “and then I’ll bring your little sister over so you can meet her properly.
Michael takes each twin by the hand and allows them to pull him over to the armchair near the window. It fills his heart with love when he notices that his two eldest children are wearing the cute ‘best big sister’ and ‘best big brother’ t-shirts he and Calum brought them for Christmas. He smiles at the thought of the tiny babygro on Summer that says ‘best little sister’ on it.
As soon as all the rest of his family are seated comfortably, Calum gently picks up the sleeping newborn, smiling down at her as he carries her over to his husband. “Remember when we talked about names?” He asks as he lowers the baby into Michael’s arms.
The twins nod simultaneously, but they never take their eyes off of the the little bundle in Michael’s arms.
“Well we had a tough time deciding which one suited her best, but we decided on Summer, in the end.” Calum explains, keeping his voice quiet.
Bonnie’s face lights up in a bright smile. “That was my favourite name!” She exclaims, “She looks like a Summer!”
“She does.” Tama agrees, staring down at his baby sister with wide eyes. “She matches us!” He grins as he notices the words enblazened across the soft cotton babygro. “I think that Summer really will be the best little sister in the whole world.”
The soft sentiment brings a tear to Michael’s eye as Calum perches on one of the arms of the chair. “I think you’ll all be the best siblings that each other can hope for.” He whispers, dropping a kiss to the top on Bonnie’s head and ruffling Tama’s dark curls.
“I think she will be better at Mario Kart than Tama.” Bonnie giggles, reaching over to stroke Summer’s cheek gently. “She can always be on my team.”
“No!” Tama objects. “She can be on my team sometimes!”
“I’m sure you can take it in turns to be on each other’s team.” Michael chuckles.
Calum rolls his eyes. “This is your fault.” He laughs, nudging his husband's shoulder softly. “I might have known I’d end up with a family of little gaming nerds.”
Grinning so wide that his cheeks start to ache, Michael meets Calum’s fond gaze. “You’re welcome.”
A/N: Merry christmas, lovely! I hope you enjoy this long awaited sequel to the lil malum family series.
***
“Okay cheeky monkeys!” Michael sighs, massaging his temples with his fingertips as he attempts to tune out the noise his two six-year-olds are making. “If you go and get your pyjamas on now, Daddy and I can help you put out the mince pie for santa.”
“Don’t forget the carrots for the reindeer, Daddy!” Tama laughs, still chasing his twin sister around the coffee table.
“And a glass of milk!” Bonnie screeches as she dives behind the armchair.
Michael has no idea what game they’re playing, he just really wishes they’d stop and get ready for bed. The downside to being the ‘soft dad’ is that the twins rarely take his instructions seriously. “Well if you don’t go and put your pyjamas right now, we won’t need to leave out anything for santa, because he won’t be bringing you any presents, anyway.”
The blonde man’s warning goes mostly unheard beneath the renewed giggling and squealing and he sighs in exhaustion. Having young twins is tiring enough at the best of times, but on Christmas Eve, it’s a whole other level of noise and excitement that he doesn’t think he’ll ever learn how to cope with.
Luckily, just when Michael feels like his eardrums might burst, Calum sweeps into the room leveling the twins with the stern ‘daddy’s getting annoyed’ look he’s mastered so well over the last six years. “Daddy just told you two to go and get your pyjamas on, didn’t he?” He asks, his voice level and firm.
The twins stop in their tracks, looking over at Calum as though they’re contemplating how far they can push their luck. It’s only when Calum raises his eyebrows at them, that the children quieten down. “We were just playing a game, Daddy.” Tama smiles innocently, his little round cheeks glowing pink as he realises he’s close to getting into trouble.
Bonnie is much bolder than her brother and she simply shrugs. “I don’t want to go to bed yet.”
“Well maybe I don’t want to let santa bring you lots of presents later.” Calum counters easily. “If you don’t go and put your pyjamas on right now, I’m going to eat Santa’s mince pie and take all of your Christmas presents for myself.”
Michael just about manages to stifle a giggle. Calum’s weak little threats of punishment seem to work though. Tama immediately runs off up the stairs, he hates getting into trouble and will avoid it whenever possible. Bonnie, on the other hand, is a defiant little girl and attempts to stare Calum down, her dark brown eyes strangely intimidating beneath the loose strands of curly black hair falling over her face. “Do I need to start a countdown, young lady?” Her father asks, refusing to let her stubbornness get the better of him.
After what feels like an uncomfortably long moment, Bonnie finally backs down and heads off into the hallway.
“If she’s this defiant now, what’s she going to be like as a teen?” Calum huffs, as he flops down on the sofa next to his husband. “I’m dreading those years.”
Michael shrugs, snuggling into Calum’s side. “Can’t we just enjoy tonight, before we start worrying too much about the future?” He asks, “By the time next Christmas comes around, everything will be different…”
Wrapping an arm around Michael’s shoulders, Calum nods, a soft smile gracing his face. “It will, I’m excited for it, though.” He whispers, pressing a kiss into Michael’s soft blonde locks. “I just hope the kiddos take the news well.”
“We’ll find out in a few minutes, won’t we?” Michael smiles nervously. As excited as he is about the special gifts hiding in the shiny boxes under the elaborately decorated tree, he can’t help feeling a little anxious at how the twins will react to the contents.
Calum nods, hugging his husband a little tighter to reassure him. “We’ll cope with whatever they throw at us, angel.” He mutters quietly. “We always do.”
Giggling again, Michael nestles his head into calum’s shoulder. The couple lapse into a moment of silence, each of them reflecting on the past year and the new one that’s about to begin. Their thoughts are interrupted by the booming footsteps of the twins, thundering across the landing and down the stairs.
“I’ll get Santa’s mince pie and milk.” Calum sighs, reluctantly getting to his feet before disappearing into the kitchen.
Michael’s relieved when the twins scurry into the room, each dressed in cute seasonal pyjamas. Even when they’re excitable little terrors, it’s hard to deny how adorable they are. Their dark, curly hair, plump rosy cheeks and friendly brown eyes make them appear like miniature versions of Calum. Not for the first time, Michael wonders whether that’s part of the reason why he’s so soft with them sometimes.
“When can we have our Christmas Eve presents?” Bonnie asks, clambering up onto the sofa next to her dad. “We did as we were told…”
Michael smiles fondly, tapping the seat on the other side of him to invite his son to join him. “Daddy’s just gone to fetch the stuff for Santa, once that’s all in place, we can see about your Christmas Eve boxes, yeah?”
Tama claps excitedly as he settles into Michael’s side, a beaming smile on his face. “Have you and Daddy got something to open, too?” He asks, glaring up at his father curiously.
“Not this year, buddy.” Michael replies carefully. “We’ve got, something extra special for you two, instead.” He looks from one twin to the other, grinning at their excited expressions.
“Come on, you two.” Calum chimes as he carries a tray full of various goodies to leave for Santa and the reindeer into the room. “Let’s get everything ready.”
“Can we open our presents first?” Bonnie asks curiously, “Daddy says we have something extra special this year.”
Calum rolls his eyes. “Did he now?” He fixes Michael with a warning glare before turning his attention back to the children. “Well they’ll still be extra special in a couple of minutes when you’ve laid out the treats for Santa.”
Bonnie sighs as though leaving the goodies on the mantelpiece is a great inconvenience to her. She slides off the sofa and heads over to Calum anyway, reaching up to take the mince pie from the tray before stepping over to the fireplace. Michael helps Tama back to his feet before they both join Bonnie and Calum at the mantelpiece.
Once the mince pie and milk are displayed clearly on the shelf, each of the twins place a carrot on the hearth, ready for the reindeer.
The little family take a minute to check that everything’s ready for Santa Claus's arrival before Tama tentatively broaches the subject that he and Bonnie are most excited for. “Presents now?” He asks, soft eyes searching both of this father’s faces.
“As long as you promise to go to bed with no fuss, as soon as we tell you to.” Calum stipulates before gesturing towards the sofa. The twins squeal with delight as they skip back over to the sofa and climb onto it.
Opening a Christmas Eve box has been a family tradition for the Hoods since Michael had moved in with Calum almost ten years ago. It was something they’d happily continued to enjoy once the twins were born. They usually contain little treats like candy canes, fancy or flavoured hot chocolate, fluffy socks and sometimes even a little novelty festive gift. This year, the two fathers had included some of those things for the twins, but there was one special item hidden at the very bottom of each of the boxes.
Michael’s excitement is almost at the twins’ level, as he picks up the two identically wrapped parcels from beneath the Christmas tree. He hands one of them to Calum, sharing a nervous but fond look with his husband before they both head over to the twins.
“Okay, kiddos.” Calum smiles, checking to see who’s gift he’s holding. “We want you both to open these at the same time, okay?”
The children nod enthusiastically as their fathers place a box in each of their laps. “Can we do it now?” Bonnie asks, her brown eyes glimmering as she stares down at her prettily wrapped parcel.
Calum takes a deep breath, intertwining his fingers with Michael before he gives them the go-ahead. Michael can practically feel Calum’s anticipation as the two of them watch the twins tear off the wrapping paper.
Bonnie is the first to open her box, pulling out a little bag of chocolate coins and licking her lips.
“Those are for tomorrow, young lady.” Calum giggles, stroking Michael’s knuckles with his thumb gently. “You know the rules.”
“We can have this tonight, though, right?” Tama asks, holding up a little sachet of hot chocolate and a snowman shaped mug.
“Of course, sweetheart.” Michael grins, “I’ll go and make it for you in a minute.”
Tamma smiles gratefully as he turns his attention back to the box.
“I like my snowman mug!” Bonnie exclaims, “he has a red scarf on!”
Both of the fathers chuckle at the twins’ reaction to each of the other little treats in the box. They each pull out their traditional pairs of fluffy, christmas themed socks and a tiny cuddly reindeer. Michael shuffles closer to Calum, his anticipation at an all time high as Bonnie and Tama pull out the last item in their Christmas Eve boxes.
The twins exchange a slightly bewildered glance as they pull out the t-shirts. They never usually receive clothes on Christmas Eve, so their confusion is understandable.
“Why don’t you see what’s written on them?” Calum prompts, tightening his hold on Michael’s hand.
Tama unfolds his red t-shirt carefully until he can see the writing on the front. Bonnie does the same with her green one and they both stare down at them with befuddled expressions before checking out each other’s.
“‘Best Big Sister’ and ‘Best Big Brother’?” Bonnie ponders out loud, turning her confused expression onto her dads. “But we’re the same age.”
Michael laughs as he and Calum both kneel down on the floor in front of their children and hold out their free hands to them.
“That’s right.” Michael smiles apprehensively. “But the new baby will be quite a bit younger than you.”
“New baby!” Tama exclaims, a bright smile brightening his features. “We’re getting a little brother or sister?”
Calum nods as Michael fights back happy tears. Bonnie shrieks with excitement as she and her brother lunge forward to hug their dads tightly.
“The baby’s already very lucky.” Michael sniffles, placing a kiss to each of the twins’ foreheads. “Because they’ll have the best big brother and sister in the whole world.”
“They’ll have the best Daddies in the world too.” Tama adds, his beaming smile stretching further across his face.
Calum wipes a tear from his eye as he plants a kiss to the top of each twin’s head and then to Michael’s lips. “I think we’re the luckiest ones.” He whispers.
