Page 215 of Untouchable

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On Christmas Eve,Parker can hardly contain himself. Mindy had left the day before to go to her grandparents’ home in Omaha, and Harp had been especially cryptic, telling Parker next to nothing about what he had planned for them other than that Harp would come down and pick him up, since his car was still being fixed. Parker takes advantage of the time alone, blasting top 40s Christmas music while taking an inordinately long time in the shower doing every kind of personal grooming he can think of, and afterwards, he spends half an hour trying on different sweaters and deciding between them. He knows it’s silly, but there’s something he likes about taking the time to get dressed up for Harp, as if primping and preening are a way of showing just how excited and grateful he is to be spending Christmas with Harp instead of his family.

Also, he’s got on a pair of Christmas-themed underwear that he thinks Harp will really enjoy.

By four in the afternoon, though, Harp still hasn’t texted him to say he’s heading down the mountain. Parker sends a few playful texts messages ribbing Harp, but as more time passes, he starts to grow concerned. All he’s gotten in response is the vaguely ominous “Caught up in a few things. I’ll text you when I’m heading down.”

To channel his nervous energy, Parker changes out of his nice clothing and begins to deep clean the apartment, doing everything from wiping down the individual slats of the blinds to scrubbing the baseboards behind the couch, singing along to the carols at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Harp has been a mess,getting Parker's surprises all in a row. He really wants to make the holiday special, not only because he's picked up on all of the clues that it's Parker's favorite time of year, but also because he knows all that Parker has put at stake to spend the holiday with Harp instead of his family.

As usual, Harp runs late and time gets away from him. He ends up in the car halfway down the mountain before he realizes that he forgot to bring the Christmas mix CD that he made for Parker.

Guess I'll just play it at the house,he decides. The public radio station is playing obnoxious Mannheim Steamroller and Harp blasts it in his truck as he drives down, the sun setting behind him. He's never been a huge Christmas fan, but he's bound and determined to get into the mood for Parker.

When he arrives at the door to Parker's apartment, he feels like he's forgotten something.

Oh well.He knocks anyway.

* * *

Parker barely hearsthe knock at the door over the Christmas music, and he turns it down as he goes to answer the door, thinking he’s pissed off a neighbor in their complex. Armed with the magic eraser he’s been using to remove the scuffs from the baseboard, he pulls the door open and immediately yelps in surprise, shutting the door almost all the way again.

“Harp?” he says, looking out at Harp from the tiny sliver where the door is still ajar. “What—what are you doing here? I didn’t get your text and—I’m still—” He trails off. He’s happy to see Harp, of course, but he’d been expecting to have plenty of time to clean himself up again after cleaning the apartment in the time that it took Harp to get down the mountain. He’s not upset, but he is confused.

"Oh. Um. I didn't send one," Harp says, looking dismayed. "I knew I forgot something. Goddamn it. I can go back—"

"Harp, no—"

"I'll, uh, I know this great place for hot chocolate and—okay—let's start over," Harp says, taking a deep breath. "I know this great place for hot chocolate and I forgot to send a text so... you get ready and I'll be back in 15 minutes with hot chocolate. And we'll go home. And have Christmas."

“Sounds good,” Parker says, smiling and sticking his arm and head out the door just far enough to grab Harp’s shirt and pull him forward, stealing a kiss before slipping back inside.

He gets ready in record time, grinning broadly the entire time, Harp’s voice echoing over and over in his head as he slips back into his nice clothing.

And we’ll go home.

Parker likes the sound of that.

* * *

Harp can't rememberthe last time he's been so excited for something, and for once he's not just going to sit around and wait for someone to forgive him for fucking up. This is his solution, and he'll make their imperfect Christmas the most perfect Parker has ever had. He knows he can if he just stays on the ball.

When Harp shows up again fifteen minutes later, he texts Parker from the parking lot. It's taken less than half of the time he thought it would to actually secure the hot chocolate—which he knows is really just gas station coffee tarted up with whipped cream and holiday-appropriate sprinkles, but still, it's the thought that counts—and he's not about to be early again.

>>HARP: I'm outside. Text me when you're ready for me.

Harp doesn't know why he feels like he wants to meet Parker at the door. It's as if Harp's been waiting his whole life for someone who would appreciate his doting, and now that he's found someone, he can't turn it off.

Parker sends a string of lewd emojis, then apparently realizes that Harp isn’t 26, decoding them with another short message:

>>PARKER: those meant ya im ready

"Hey," Harp says when Parker opens the door. "So nice of me to remember to text you about picking you up, right? And so thoughtful to just totally surprise you with this delicious hot chocolate."

Parker mhmms thoughtfully and accepts it when Harp kisses him on the temple.

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