Business and Pleasure SLASH, MxM

Chapter 17

"Who thought it was a good idea to have a companywide Secret Santa?" Patrick lamented as he rubbed his temples. Malls were always crowded, loud, and filled with people who didn't know how to control their god damn kids.

"I did, and you agreed so here we are. Hence you need to find something for whoever you got. And I need to get some things for my family. Stay here while I run and try to find a cute scarf for my sister." Michelle told him before abandoning him amidst the sea of people. Patrick refused to just stand there helplessly and wormed his way to a bench in the middle of the mall. He usually liked the holidays but unlike his friend, he preferred to do most of his shopping online like any sane human being.

He pulled out his phone, tapping away at the screen to see what the weather would be like for the next couple of days. "Fuck." He swore, seeing that apparently it was going to snow every day straight for the next week. He was tired of all the snow and the cold. He wondered if he should forego spending Christmas with Michelle and her family and just flee as far south as he could. He debating checking online for any Delta flights when he felt a tap on his leg. Jolting up he saw a small child that was probably a little more than a year old, with dark curly hair using his knee to prompt itself up up. It smiled at him and made an ugly gargling noise. He swore to god if it drooled on his slacks he was going to curse someone out. Did people even watch their children anymore?

"Jackson!" A voice called and the next thing Patrick knew someone scooped up the little monster. "Sorry, I put him down for a second and he tried to waddle away." They child's parent said, sounding exasperated.. The blond man exhaled deeply, "It's no problem." He replied, looking up at the child's parent before freezing up.

Marshall was standing there with an empty stroller. He looked tired and wore a thick sweatshirt and jacket. His brown hair had grown longer and curled around his ears. But he still had the same wire frames he used to.Patrick marvelled at how he was able to look the same but still different. He hadn't seen the man in over a year and he didn't know what to say to him. 'Sorry I ruined your marriage!' and 'You broke my fucking heart.' didn't really seem like proper things to say. Which is funny because during the first few months he had a list of things he'd say to him. Most not suitable to say in a public.

It was clear that Marshall didn't know what to say either, so the man simply sat down, putting little Jackson in his lap. "It's been awhile. I haven't seen you in... how long?"

Patrick stared at the child who simply wiggled in his father's lap. "How old is he?" He asked, still tense. He noticed that Marshall had a bit of stubble on his face and he had to resist his childish urge to reach and stroke his jaw. He hadn't seen Marshall with stubble since that time they woke up in bed together.

"A little over a year." The brown haired man replied looking down at his son.

"Then it's been a little over a year."

Marshall awkwardly shifted on the bench, moving his son to a different position on his lap. The baby boy looked up at Patrick curiously and Patrick looked back. "Can I hold him?"

The brown haired man looked shocked and for a moment Patrick thought he was going to say no. There was a beat of silence before Marshall nodded."Sure." He said, after a beat. He shifted Jackson in his lap and gestured for Patrick to hold out his arms before slowly giving him the boy to hold. The blond man held the child and froze up as he squirmed in his arms before relaxing and staring up at him. Patrick stared right back, looking for the bits of Marshall in him and frowning at the obvious bits of Ann. "Where's his mom?" He asked, shifting a bit as Jackson began to play with one of the buttons on his peacoat, tugging at it.

Marshall sighed. "She's at her parents house with her boyfriend decorating and stuff. Jackson's with me until Christmas eve."

Patrick's eyes never left Jackson. "Her boyfriend? You guys divorced?" He asked. There was the underlying question of 'Why?'. Well. Patrick knew

they got divorced. But what he wanted to know is

Marshall didn't find this out until this second. Why Marshall wouldn't come back to him if he did leave her.

"You know why." Marshall responded with a deep sigh. "We knew it wasn't gonna work. Not after everything that happened. Not even after him." He said, gesturing to his son who was still marveling at that blond man's shiny buttons.

"He seems well behaved." Patrick told him. Marshall gave him a small smile and nodded. "He is. Usually. What are you here shopping for?"

"Office secret santa. I'm here with Michelle, though it seems like she's abandoned me." He replied, glancing around at the sea of people. The mall rush was still in full swing. "I wasn't planning on being here all day but from the looks of it, I just might be." He lamented.

Marshall looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I was planning on leaving soon. It was...nice catching up, though." He told Patrick, plucking Jackson from his arms gently. The little boy started to cry wiggle around. The dark hard man bounced him up and down to get him to relax. Luckily it worked and he had no problem strapping into the stroller.

"It was." Patrick said. Suddenly his throat felt dry. He wanted to say something, anything to get

Marshall to say for a second longer. But he couldn't. "I'll see you around, yeah?" He ask him, clasping his hands together to keep them from shaking.

Marshall looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Yes. Probably " He told him with a weak smile. "Merry Christmas." He added as he walked away into the crowd.

"Happy Holidays." Patrick called after him, suddenly feeling lighter. When Marshall was out of view Michelle return to him with three shopping bags in her hands. "Ready to go?" She asked him. He stared into the crowd for a fleeting moment before nodding. "Yeah. I'm ready."

FIN.

~

This probably doesn't seem like a fulfilling ending, but there is a possibility of a sequel/epilogue to tie up the loose ends.

This is actually the first story I've ever really sorta finished so that's something. It took me forever. Thank you for reading and following me. And a very special thanks to all of you who commented/reviewed religiously! Wouldn't have kept going without you all. :)

Update 12/6: Please check out some of my other work. Rigel, a scifi mxm story about space pirates, and Winner Takes All, a mxm one-shot about two HS football players.