Claire Bear (M.A.D)

Chapter Eighteen

A/N: As a New Year's Special; two updates in one night! Well aren't you guys lucky! Enjoy! (The new year's part will be up tomorrow night or maybe even tonight if I'm feeling extra nice. Lucky you!)

On Christmas Eve, Michael and I stayed in watching Christmas films at Michael's house all day. I was in my cosy pyjamas and woolly socks and Michael was in his sweats and hoodie (as per). We had a fleecy blanket wrapped around us and a bowl of popcorn on our laps. Miley was curled in Michael's crossed legs and her slow, heavy breathing could be heard as she slept. We were huddled together for both warmth and comfort and with the lights off, the curtains closed and Elf on the TV, it felt like the old days. The days before M.A.D. The days we sat and watched movies after a tough day. The days we did nothing except watch films just because we couldn't be bothered to face the ugly world. The days before we realised we could be lovers and still be best friends.

I sighed. I missed him. I missed the old Michael. The new Michael wasn't different but his world was different. As much as I loved being in London with the others and seeing Michael do what he loved, I missed home. I missed him being here with me at home. With Miley and mum and dad and our friends.

He must have noticed I'd zoned out because when I exited my own little world and everything came back into focus, Michael was looking at me concerned.

"I'm okay." I reassured him with a fake smile.

"No you're not." he told me.

"It's fine. It's nothing." I tried telling him and looked away from his intense stare, down at my hands in my lap.

"Claire." he put his hand under my chin and lifted it to look into his face. "I miss it too." He told me before kissing my lips gently and moving his hand from under my chin and letting it fall to rest between us. Miley had stirred by now and had moved to lie on the floor at our feet and so Michael turned his whole self to face me as his lips were connected to mine. As soon as he broke the kiss, I looked down, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes over something so silly. "We'll be okay, Claire, I promise. As long as we have each other, yeah?" he whispered down into where I was looking as his forehead rested against mine. "You and me against the world, remember?" He whispered as he kissed my forehead and when I looked up, tears brimming my eyes and threatening to fall, I noticed there were tears in his eyes too.

"Yeah." I whispered and pounded my lips into his with such intensity that he was lying on his back and I was leaning over him as we kissed back.

The kiss had a strong salty taste as tears fell into its depths. It was filled with the sort of intensity and urgency which comes only when lovers are upset and it was lucky our parents were out at a Christmas meal because before I knew it, Michael had my hand in his and was leading me upstairs. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs I threw myself into Michael, pushing him against the wall as our lips came together once more. We turned and now I was the one being pushed against the door. I unzipped Michael's hoodie. His chest was bare beneath and I let my hands explore the ripples of his muscles before I pulled it down and off his arms, causing him to pull his hands away from my waist for a second. They snapped back up to my hips and climbed up under my t-shirt. I wrapped my legs around his middle as he drove his hips towards me, pushing me further into the wall. He tightened his grasp around my waist and carried me to his bed where he just dropped me on my back. I let out a sigh as he took his lips from mine but then  whimpered as he started kissing up my stomach, lifting my top as he did.

My top was on the floor and so were the rest of our clothes as we lay sweating and breathless, our faces sticky with sweat and tears, breathing into each other as our foreheads touched and our bodies stayed intertwined.

We spent Christmas night in our own beds and I woke and opened the presents under our tree but the details of that are for another story. This is our story. Michael's and mine.

Michael and his family (and the dogs) came around about 12:30 for Christmas dinner as they only lived a few streets over and it was my parents' turn to do it this year. Michael and I exchanged gifts in the front room as the adults prepared food, drank and socialised in the kitchen.

Michael got me a necklace with a silver Minnie Mouse charm on. It had "M&C" engraved on the back. What was strange was that I got him exactly the same except his was Mickey Mouse and had "C&M" engraved on the back. Michael clasped mine around my neck and I did his. Next, I'd got Michael a cute beanie. It was black and on the front it had a white tummy and eyes and a beak to look like a penguin. He'd got me a white sweater with Minnie Mouse on the front right corner. Her cheeks were glowing and she looked embarrassed. Then I saw why. Michael had a matching sweater with Mickey Mouse in the front left corner. Mickey was facing outwards and pursing his lips as if giving someone a kiss. I loved them. Michael had also got me some earings that were little minions and a stuffed unicorn that was a replica of Agnes' toy unicorn in Despicable Me. I had got Michael a large, stuffed minion and a couple of new hoodies since I kept stealing his.

Christmas dinner was fun as we ate as much as our stomachs could contain and pulled crackers and read corny jokes and wore party hats and laughed and talked.

We took Miley on a Christmas walk after and the frosty air was refreshing as the cold, bright sun shone down on us. We held Miley's leash in our hands that were intertwined between us and I smiled up at the bright sunlight looking down.

That night we fell asleep on the old, fraying yet comfortable sofa where we'd spent many winters and sick-days huddled together during our childhood. We drifted off to the sound of our two families laughing and chatting and joking, leaning against each other; my head on his shoulder and his head resting on mine; his arm wrapped around my waist and our bare feet entangled in each other. At some point someone placed a blanket over us but I was too far gone to even manage to mumble thanks.