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Jeremy lazily stretched his arms above his head as the late morning sun flickered in through the sheer blinds that Jeremy had insisted on hanging. He sighed happily and sat up to look down at the two beautiful men currently curled up to his left hand side in his bed, in their bed.
Kevin looked small in Jean’s arms and Jeremy’s heart fluttered in that familiar way it always did when he got to see them tangled in each other’s arms. His sweet Jean was taking soft, shallow breaths, his longer black hair falling down over his face as he breathed, and Jeremy couldn’t resist leaning down to push it back. Meanwhile, Kevin was breathing deep, his face squished into the hard expanse of Jean’s gloriously naked torso - and somewhere along the way Jeremy lost his train of thought.
He shook himself off, trying to focus on how sweet this moment was, how much he loved both of them, how grateful he was that they’d managed to all live together. Even more breathtaking was the thought that Kevin and Jean had rebuilt their friendship and then allowed the love they had locked away to flourish in freedom. All while Jeremy got to not just witness it, but be an active part in it, to watch his perfect, gorgeous boyfriend fall back in love with the new version of Jeremy’s longterm Exy crush.
It was too much and yet the perfect amount, all at once.
They just looked so soft like this, Kevin practically clung to Jean’s side, with Jean’s arm protectively wrapped around him, gripping his shoulder fiercely, even in sleep. Jeremy also really loved Jean’s other hand that always rested on Jeremy’s stomach, and now he’d sat up, seemed content to grip Jeremy’s thigh as if preventing him from leaving.
Jeremy couldn’t quite believe it. Four years of being with Jean and three years since Kevin joined them. Everything felt perfect.
It was their first Christmas living all together and Jeremy felt overwhelmingly joyful at the prospect of Jean and Kevin cooking side by side while Jeremy drank cocktails. He, of course, would do the equally important job of providing the comic relief and the entertainment for the day.
Jeremy took a few more precious minutes to watch his sleeping boyfriends, two men who in no universe would have made sense together after everything. Against all odds, it had worked, and Jeremy, a burning inferno of failure and loathing, that others somehow only perceived as pure sunshine, had got to stay with them. They’d cooled the edges of his panicked feelings of not being worthy of these two perfect people, and made him realise that they all truly deserved each other. Life was far from perfect together, but they were all healing and all trying and all communicating, and that’s all that mattered to Jeremy.
Taking another second to watch them sleep peacefully, Jeremy nodded to himself and slipped out of bed, slipping on his slippers that Kevin had got him last Christmas. They looked like Barkbark which had made Jeremy cackle with joy when he had opened them. Then he had been amazed when Kevin had directly stated he’d bought them because they resembled Barkbark.
Kevin had looked bashful with a nervous smile on his face as he’d explained his thought process behind the gift. Jeremy was hecking lucky, and he’d never forget it, he told himself as he ventured into the kitchen.
While he might not be an excellent cook, Jean had preprepared pain au chocolats and Jeremy knew how to make a good hot chocolate. So he placed the pastries under the grill to warm through and focused his attention on busying himself collecting his hot chocolate essentials.
Grinning to himself, he took out his candy cane handled Christmas mug, Jean’s Trojan Christmas mug and Kevin’s newly acquired mug that Jeremy bought to join the collection. He eyed his ingredients on the countertop and then began pouring out the oat milk into a measuring jug to heat up in the microwave.
Once he’d set the microwave going, he heaped spoonfuls of the disgusting protein hot chocolate Kevin had insisting on into two of the cups. Jeremy put his own caramel hot chocolate into his cup and set to work grating dark chocolate flakes onto a little plate on the side while he waited for the milk to finish heating up. After a few minutes he poured the milk in and set to work stirring them all and squirting whipped cream onto the top of each one with focused dedication.
He sprinkled the dark chocolate flakes onto Jean and Kevin’s hot chocolates and added the marshmallows Kevin had insisted on buying a few weeks ago. Jeremy put the snowman shaped marshmallows and added a white chocolate and caramel drizzle to the top of just his with a satisfied smile as he stared down at his masterpiece. Taking a tray out, he piled the pastries onto a large plate in the centre of it and then placed the mugs on there too, before carrying it through to the bedroom.
He loved giving his boyfriends breakfast in bed, and he couldn’t stop the dreamy smile at the thought of the two of them all sleep drenched and beautiful as they ate. Oh god, he was so in love. Dizzyingly so.
Placing the tray on one of the bedside tables, he chuckled that somehow both men had gravitated over to his side, leaving Jean’s side now empty. Not that they necessarily had consistent sides, but there was something heady about watching Jean nuzzled into his pillow and Kevin now facing the empty space.
He was blinking sleepily up at Jeremy, a lovesick sort of smile that had Jeremy’s heart kicking up a notch at the total and unhidden adoration.
“Mornin’” he whispered huskily and Jeremy beamed down at him, leaning onto the bed to press a soft “Morning” into his lips.
“What’s all this?” Kevin slurred out as he went to sit up with his back against the headboard.
Jean startled instantly, because he still didn’t wake up calmly at movement and Jeremy had accepted that it wasn’t his responsibility to fix everything. Even if he was an overwhelming people pleaser who wanted to solve everyone else’s problems, it didn’t necessarily mean he should or he needed to. Smiling despite the warring feelings, he watched Jean slowly realise where he was and a more relaxed expression crossed his face. It was a lazy smile that took over his features as he eyed Kevin, then Jeremy and then noticed the tray now balanced on the side.
“Sorry, we are always migrating to your side” Jean apologised but Jeremy waved him off.
“You miss me when I get up to make drinks in the morning” he dismissed with a grin. “Speaking of! I have hot chocolate” he announced and picked their mugs off the tray to hand to the two men now sitting up and staring at him with twin unsure frowns on their faces.
Jeremy felt the urge to laugh.
“Hot chocolate?” Jean asked. “I don’t think that is a good way to start the day”
“Chocolat chaud et pain au chocolat?” Jeremy offered in his best Marseille accent.
Kevin gave a soft laugh while Jean scoffed, muttering, “That is the same thing, but now you are appealing to my biggest weakness”
“Please drink them? For me?” Jeremy pouted and he saw both men’s resolve start to melt almost immediately, which he did take a moment to be proud of.
“I even used that protein hot chocolate stuff and your fancy healthy marshmallows. Plus the shavings are dark chocolate” Jeremy explained and watched the moment both of them shared a glance before accepting their cups. Which Jeremy was grateful for, because his fingers were burning holding the cups out, handles facing both of his boyfriends.
“Thank you, Jeremy” Jean whispered as he grabbed the cup and immediately took a sip, his eyes fluttering closed and a pleased look appearing on his features.
Kevin took his with a frown at the contents of his Christmas themed mug, and then at the mug itself. “Is - Is this new?”
“Yes!” Jeremy jumped with glee at Kevin realising. “Foxes in Christmas hats, isn’t it cute?” He asked excitedly.
“It’s perfect” Kevin admitted and held out his arm for Jeremy, who happily slipped back into bed and leant his back against Kevin’s chest, letting Kevin’s arm loop around his waist. He grabbed his own cup again and began drinking, relishing in the warmth of Kevin’s grasp and being able to feel him swallowing down the hot chocolate against his back.
This was shaping up to possibly be the best Christmas of Jeremy’s life.
He put the tray on Kevin’s lap so they could share the pastries and he watched Jean be disgruntled as he pulled them apart and ate them. Jeremy eyed him in amusement as Kevin asked, “Wow, you made these?” through a mouthful of pastry.
Jean snorted and Jeremy shot him a disapproving look and said, “No, Jean pre-made them and froze them for me, so that I can feel like I’m actually doing something useful for you both”
“Jeremy you’re always useful” Kevin told him sincerely and ducked his head down to kiss the side of Jeremy’s neck with an overwhelming amount of affection.
“Oh o-okay” Jeremy stuttered out and then was met with Jean’s hand cupping his face, forcing him to turn and look at him.
Steady grey eyes met his own wide eyed stare and Jean, with so much certainty that Jeremy’s heart ached, said, “You are useful, yes. More importantly you are not the sum of your worth, Jeremy. We love you for your heart, for you”
And wasn’t that something. His worth had always been judged on his usefulness: the usefulness of his public appearance, the usefulness of him passing the bar, the usefulness of him sticking to tradition.
All of which he’d always been deemed unworthy despite his best attempts - deemed it by exes, by hardcore Exy fans, by his parents and worst of all by his siblings. However, he’d never been viewed as anything other than deeply important to both of his boyfriends and a part of him was always surprised by that. Two beautiful, strong men who loved him unconditionally despite knowing him better than anyone who had ever met him before.
“Don’t get lost in your head, don’t go away” Jean told him, and held up a pastry to Jeremy’s lips, which made the warmth of the sun heat up his heart and body until the sunshine on his face returned. He took a bite and hummed.
“You’re so talented” Jeremy praised as Kevin continued to kiss his neck and jaw, and up into his hair.
“I would be an embarrassment if I could not make a good pastry” Jean grumbled but he smiled and kissed the corner of Jeremy’s lips, making Jeremy giggle as he was peppered with love from both sides.
Yep! This was going to be his best Christmas ever.