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“No, you’ll have them in bed and wait until you look less pale. I told your parents we wouldn’t be there until mid-morning, and it’s only a little after eight right now.”

“You fuss too much,” Lennon complained, except he was smiling so Kodi didn’t believe him.

He stopped playing with the covers just in case and straightened. “I’m taking care of you and peanut.” Lennon’s lips trembled before he coughed into his hand. Kodi acted like he never noticed. “Now are we sticking with dry toast and mint tea?”

“Please.” Lennon settled more into the pillows and Kodi bent forward and brushed the hair back and down as he kissed Lennon’s brow.

“I’ll be back with it, you stay put.”

He didn’t miss the “yes fusspot” as he left the room, shaking his head. He wasn’t a fusspot, just a concerned mate.

He continued to justify everything to himself while continuing to ‘fuss’ over Lennon while they ate their light breakfast in bed. Kodi stuck with the same as Lennon when his stomach felt delicate too.

When Lennon’s color returned, Kodi helped him into the shower, not listening to Lennon’s protests that he could manage.

“Why don’t you join me?” Lennon groaned when the hot spray cascaded over his head, his eyes fluttering closed as he stepped further under the spray.

His body looked no different, all slender lines and soft curves. Tempting. He checked his watch to calculate what time they had. He didn’t want to explain to Lennon’s parents why they were late. And Kodi wanted to open presents before they had to leave. He was too impatient to wait till tonight when they got home.

“We don’t have enough time, if we’re going to open gifts before we leave for your parents’.”

One eye opened and there in the jade depths was a challenge. “I bet we could be quick?”

Kodi scoffed at that. Neither of them was that quick, and Lennon always wanted Kodi’s knot, which took way more time to deflate than they had. “Stop tempting me. When we get home tonight, I’ll make it up to you.”

And you won’t have just emptied your stomach, he thought to himself.

“Alright,” Lennon grumbled, reaching for the shower gel on the shelf.

Far too tempted when the bubbles sluiced down to Lennon’s growing erection which he fisted slowly, Kodi headed out of the bathroom and went to the guest bathroom to sort himself out, hearing Lennon’s laughter. “Coward!”

He was when Lennon was far too good at tempting him.

By the time he came back into the bedroom, there was no sign of Lennon, only wet towels haphazardly hanging on the heated rail. Kodi straightened them and brushed his teeth.

He dressed in loose fitting jeans, knowing the feast they’d get later, and an old university sweater to hide when he opened his pants. Barefoot, he whistled on his way downstairs to the Christmas music coming from the kitchen.

Lennon had spent most of the day before baking in the kitchen, and when he walked in he could see exactly how much baking he had done. On the counter were two large stacks of tubs.

Lennon gave him a sheepish smile. “Before you say anything, these,”—he tapped the left pile—“are for my parents, and the others are for yours.”

Kodi made a motion of zipping his lips because he wasn’t foolish enough to criticize when Lennon could cut off his supply of homemade cookies. “Do you want me to put them in the car now? Or are we doing presents.”

“You’re very eager to open gifts.” Lennon bounced to Kodi, his eyes alight with joy that made Kodi’s heart skip a beat. Lennon had also opted for jeans and a sweater, only his was red with a Santa on it.

“Are you always like this?” He took hold of Kodi’s hand, pulling him from the kitchen down the hall and into the living room.

“Maybe,” Kodi said with a straight face.

Lennon rolled his eyes when they stopped by the tree. “Do you want to go first?”

Kodi got down to kneel by the side of the pile of presents he’d put there days earlier. He reached for the boxes containing the Christmas ornaments, the other gifts not as important as these.

“This one is for peanut.” He offered the gaily wrapped box.

Lennon looked from it to Kodi in confusion. “Isn’t it a little early for baby gifts?”

Kodi carefully tugged Lennon down next to him and offered the box again. “No, peanut is here,” he insisted, placing his free hand on Lennon’s flat belly, “so it gets a gift too.”