Under the Mistletoe

December 23, 2019

A/N: Sorry for the late update (by 20 minutes aha). Apparently Midnight Mass finishes after midnight. Who knew? Not me 🙋🏼‍♀️

~•~

☀️= Sol
🏋🏼‍♂️ = Alex
😈 = Byron
💕 = Lachlan

~•~

Sol isn't sure what he time is in when he wakes up. Sunlight streams through the curtains and on the bed beside him lays Lachlan, chest slowly rising and falling. Across him is Alex's arm, and Byron is—

Not here.

Sol frowns, sitting up slowly and extracting himself from the bed. He pulls a pair of jeans on and one of Alex's shirts from the suitcase before quietly exiting the bedroom.

He finds Byron, Vicky, Kim and Lyric sitting out on the back patio. As soon as he sees them, Sol turns to go back to bed. He's not about to interrupt the Vernon-Reed family from spending their first real morning together in a year. Lyric catches sight of Sol before he can disappear, though, and the teenager sits upright and calls out.

"Sol!"

Sol winces, glancing over his shoulder as Byron, Vicky and Kim catch sight of him, too. Mum and mama smile widely and Byron's lips simply twitch in amusement.

"Join us, honey," Vicky says, and Sol already has a no on his lips. It's Byron reaching a hand for him that makes Sol fumble for his words.

"I don't want to... disturb," Sol finished lamely, and Vicky laughs.

"Sol, you are our son as much as Byron and Lyric are our son's. You're not disturbing anything. Now, come out here."

Sol's walking out before Vicky's finished speaking, feeling a slight flush build on his cheeks. He sits beside Byron, who rests a hand on his thigh and squeezes. Sol catches Byron's hand and squeezes back.

"Actually, now that we have the two of you here..." Kim starts, glancing at Lyric who's scratching the wood on the table. "Lyric, honey, could you go and make Sol a coffee, please?"

"Hm?" Lyric lifts his head. If he suspects anything, he doesn't say it. He stands and heads inside, taking his own cup with him.

"Oh, and me a tea, please!" Vicky calls out.

"And another coffee for me, thanks." Byron adds with a smirk. Lyric says something back, but it's lost as the patio doors shut behind him. Byron snickers as Lyric flips him the bird through the glass.

"Must you tease him?"

"It's all in fun, mama." Byron grins, but it falters. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Sol hates the way Byron tenses beside him. His gut twists as Vicky and Kim share a look and Kim rests her hand atop Vicky's. When they sigh and start speaking, Sol reminds himself that these women have been better parents to him than his own.

"It's about Alicia," Kim says.

Byron inhales sharply. Sol doesn't think Byron's grip could grow any stronger. He's wrong.

"We haven't heard from her family in a couple of weeks now. We just want to make sure she's okay," Vicky explains.

Sol's stomach drops and he's certain Byron's does, too. He wonders how to tell his mothers-in-law that the woman is in an induced coma and is yet to wake-up.