The Trial Of Temptation

gifts and drifts

After Tom demanded to be done skating, the two of you spent the rest of that day getting gifts for your friends.
Tom:
Jerry- a suitcase style Crosley record player
Abbie- paying for his entire treatment plan
Lee- a really nice gray cashmere sweater
John- new boots
You:
Jerry- the record that John Lennon had given you (he was a bigger beatles fan than you were)
Abbie- a new drug rug
Lee- 200 dollar gift card to his favorite coffee shop
John- a movie poster of "Valley Of The Dolls" (his favorite movie)
You and Tom didn't tell each other what you would be receiving from one another. You got Tom season tickets to the Metropolitan Opera. He was kind of a classical music nerd, and you figured it would be a fun thing to do together. You had no idea what he would be getting you. You were excited, though. Your friends were coming over to dinner tonight, as it was Christmas Eve. You walked home, large shopping bags in hand. You immediately started wrapping the presents on arrival. Tom, you found, was quite a good wrapper. You, not s'much. You tried your best though. 30 minutes later, the gifts were all wrapped. You stayed in your skating outfits, minus the coats, as they were already pretty Christmas-y. Abbie would be joining you tonight, as he had been away from drugs for over 24 hours. You hoped he'd behave. Jerry called and said he was acting normal, so you weren't too worried about it. It was just Abbie, after all. John and Lee arrived at about a quarter past 7. Lee brought some pizza, and John brought his warm smile. Jerry and a very tired and apologetic Abbie arrived a bit later, followed by a surprising Weinglass and David. You hadn't seen the latter in two years, so it was exciting for you. You all greeting each other and gave gifts in the living room. Jerry used his brand new record player to play Nat King Cole's Christmas album for background music. It was quite a lovely time. After everyone opened their gifts, it was your turn. First, Jerry.
"Go on, open it y/n." He said. You smiled and tore away the wrapping paper. It was a small leather box. You opened it to find a necklace with a blue butterfly at the end. You looked up at jerry and smiled.
"Oh, Jer that's lovely!" You exclaimed. Jerry smiled bashfully.
"It's because you're finally coming out of your cocoon again and following your dreams." Jerry muttered shyly. You pulled Jerry into a hug. He had really touched your heart.
"Thank you." You whispered. You had to hide a tear or two. Next, was Abbie. This one, you worried about. Abbie sheepishly handed you a cardboard box. You nodded awkwardly at him and opened it. You were pleasantly surprised to find a painting that Abbie had done of the shack.
"Just so you don't forget us." Abbie suggested. You smiled and grabbed Abbie's hand, causing him to flinch a bit. You patted him.
"How could I ever. I love you very much Abbie." You told him. You saw Tom smile in the corner of your eye. Abbie looked up at you with wide brown eyes, and smiled that toothy grin of his. Your heart soared. You hoped life could just stay this way. Lee was next. You took a brown paper bag from a solemn looking Lee and took out the tissue paper. You gasped, and pulled out Bernadine's favorite striped sweater. Tears immediately shot to your eyes. As you turned to look at your small friend, you saw everyone's expressions drop.
"L-Lee what?" You choked out, bringing the fabric up to your nose, finding that Bernadine's perfume still lingered. Lee smiled sadly.
"She willed it to you. Just thought I'd deliver it." Lee remarked. You shook your head and sniffed, hugging the sweater tightly. Tom's hand moved to rest on your back, rubbing light circles there. You recovered, and took John's gift. It was a card. You opened it to find 2 plane tickets. You cocked an eyebrow and looked over a John.
"My parents have a place in London, and I thought you and Tom could spend some time there. The flat just sits there, so why not?" John said. You let out a laugh of happiness and turned to Tom, who had a small smile on his face.
"Thank you, John! That's awesome!" You yelped, giving him a high five. Tom gave him a nod of thanks.
"Ok. Better go get mine." Tom said, pushing himself up to his feet. You looked up at him.
"I thought we were doing our gifts to eachother tomorrow?" You reminded him. He raised his eyebrows.
"Let's just do tonight." He said, walking back into the kitchen. You looked over at Jerry, who just shrugged. Tom came back a few minutes later with a large white box. He handed it to you tentatively, and sat beside you. You widened your eyes when you felt the box move. You cocked your eyebrow and lifted off the lid, to find a baby orange tabby staring up at you. You yelped in surprise and felt tears immediately fill your eyes. It was the second cutest thing you'd ever seen (nothing could beat Tom in his green sweater.) "aww"'s echoed throughout the room and you lifted it to your breast, cradling the small thing like a baby. It mewed softly, but overall it was immediately very chill and cuddly. It kind of reminded you of Tom, in a way, with its green eyes and delicate features. You looked over at Tom, who was stealing shy glances at you. When you caught his eye, his head sprang up a bit.
"Do you like it?" He asked. You nodded eagerly.
"Oh Tom I love it!" You squealed, leaning over to press a giant kiss on his cheek. You saw him blush a bit. Jerry was over your shoulder, staring at the kitten with wonder filled eyes in seconds.
"He's so cute!" Jerry cooed. You giggled.
"Isn't he?" You whispered, gazing down at your new 2nd favorite thing. Weinglass came over and shyly asked to hold it. You let him, and the kitten seemed to dig his vibes right away. You took the kitten back and let everyone have a turn holding it. You looked over at Tom and shook your head.
"I seriously cannot believe you're letting me have a cat. My present will probably seem so fuckin lame now." You whined. Tom chuckled and slung an arm around you.
"This is for me too. I'm quite the cat enthusiast." Tom informed you. You raised an eyebrow.
"You don't strike me as the animal type." You remarked. Tom shrugged.
"M'not. Just love cats." He said with a sly wink. You blushed a bit. He was a nice winker. Once everyone had gotten their first taste of the new family member, they took their seats back in the circle.
"What are ya gonna name it?" Abbie asked. You paused.
"Paul!" Jerry piped up. No.
"Crispy Kreme!" David called out.
"Fatass!" Abbie yelled at Dave.
"Bernie?" Lee remarked.
"Too sad." Tom retorted. Soon, names and jests were being thrown out every which way. It became slightly overwhelming.
"MEN. AT EASE." You shouted in your best drill Sargent voice. They shut up after that.
"What about Cosmo?" You suggested. You heard Tom chuckle.
"Like Cosmo Brown?" He asked. Damn. Leave it to Tom.
"Yeah, exactly like Cosmo Brown." You said, smiling over at your lover. Tom smirked.
"Knew it." He muttered under his breath. You gave Tom his opera tickets, which he turned out to like very much. You spent the rest of the night drinking, catching up, sharing stories. It was just like nights back in Chicago. You didn't want it to end. Abbie tapped you in the middle of one of Jerry's political rants.
"Can we talk?" He asked. You saw Tom tense up in the corner of your eye. You gave Abbie a warning look. He bit his lip and nodded.
"Not that kind of a talk." He told you. You nodded and followed him to the kitchen. He leaned back on the counter and lit a cigarette. He offered you one, but you declined.
"So." You muttured. Abbie sighed and took a puff.
"Y/n, I really gotta apologize. I've been on the crazy train lately. My mind is uh- not quite in the right place. Bern's death- it hit me pretty hard. I think ya already know this, but I don't really love ya in that way. I just miss Bernie so much. And the fact that Tom hurt her so bad- well, that might be part of why the trips target you. I just want you to know that I still love ya to bits, and Tom too. I hope ya can forgive your ol' pal Abbie." He explained. You smiled brightly at him.
"Thanks for being honest, Ab. Means a lot. Of course, you will always be my best pal. I love you too." You told him. He smiled.
"Aw chucks." He muttured sheepishly, shuffling his feet. You pulled him into a hug.
"You should really apologize to Tom." You whispered. Abbie nodded and pulled away.
"Probably right." Abbie sighed.
"You are- uh- getting treatment?" You wondered. Abbie sighed and nodded.
"Probably should. Expensive as shit, though." Abbie muttered, taking another hit. You patted his arm and nodded
"Trust me, just talk to Tom. I'll go get him. Wait here." You instructed. You headed back out to the living room, where everyone was still laughing and drinking. Everyone except for Tom, that is, who was intently watching the kitchen entrance when you came out. You saw him sigh in relief when he saw the smile on your face. You approached him, and ran your fingers through his greying temples. He melted into your touch and looked deeply into your eyes. His hands fell to your waist, pulling you in close enough so only you could hear what he said.
"How was that?" He questioned. You smiled and nodded. He sighed and rested his head against your chest.
"Good." He breathed out. You tipped his chin up.
"Go." You said, cocking your head toward the kitchen . Tom raised an eyebrow. You nodded. He gave you a soft hand kiss and got up, heading over to the kitchen. You talked to the other guys for about 25 minutes, before Abbie and Tom came out of the kitchen, both teary eyed. Tom preferred not to tell you what they'd talked about for the time being. You understood. Abbie and Tom had been through things together that you couldn't even imagine. After maybe an hour more, your friends headed home. You were glad that this night had solidified that all of your friendships stood just as strong as they had back in Chicago. It was quite a relief to have Abbie Hoffman back again as well. As Tom finished letting Weinglass and David out, you sat on the couch, playing with Cosmo. You heard the door shut, and felt your heart light up with excitement when you realized that you'd have Tom all to yourself in a matter of moments. You blushed when he came in the room. All sexy and skinny and brilliant.
"Come." You said, lifting an arm up. He smiled and sat down next to you, slinging an arm around your and pulling you into his embrace. You relaxed into his warm body.
"I love you so much." You whispered. He chuckled and leaned down to your ear.
"I've wanted to eat your pussy all day. Oblige me?" He hissed. You nodded and set the cat down.
"A pussy for a pussy baby."