Zoe

Christmas dinner is not bad after all, the problem comes when there is always too much food. The problem gets worse when...

Mother gives Stodax another scoop of mashed potatoes. "Here you go. A big guy should eat more."

Stodax puts up a polite smile. "Thank you. The food is great and I bet we can have them for the week to come."

Mother chuckles. "You can pack some home."

I nod. "We can for sure. That'll be the whole week for us. The bakery keeps us busy most of the time."

Father eyes Stodax with a steel face, but that's how his face usually goes, so I guess he doesn't hate Stodax, not that I'd care about his opinion about my mate. Father says, "Mm... If you aren't a big guy, you can't protect ."

He's not wrong. But Stodax is a big guy, so everything checks out.

Stodax gulps down the mashed potato. He has to be full. He has a hard time refusing anything, which includes an extra serving of food. "I'll protect her." He points at his horns. "I'm capable of doing that."

Father muses and takes a sip of wine. "Good."

When we are finally dismissed from the table, I almost can't stand with my stuffed stomach. Stodax and I end up cuddling on the couch in the living room when my parents tell us to chill away from the kitchen. We told them the bakery wouldn't be open tomorrow, so we didn't have to care about that and could be helping with the dishes, but they waved us off.

Stodax burps, and he hurries to cover his mouth. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I stroke his stomach and he grunts. "Looks like you had a breeze."

"I'm so stuffed that it feels like I don't have to eat a thing for a few days, if not longer. Funny how I go from starving most of the time to not hungry, then... stuffed and can't even move because I ate too much."

I kiss his cheek. "Still having nightmares?"

"Not a lot now that you're here with me."

I sigh. While I hope he'd snap out of his past and not let that bother him yesterday if not earlier, it's not that easy. "Take your time."

"You make everything better."

"I hope." I lean onto him, resting against his arm when he is a bit too tall for me to reach his shoulder. "Then you don't have to keep thinking or dreaming about it."

"I don't think I can control my dream, but I hope you're right." He closes his eyes, patting my side. "I like the roasted bird. But it will be nicer if I don't have to eat that much of it."

I laugh. "Well, as soon as Mother heard that you haven't tried Christmas food, you're done. I told you not to tell her about that."

"I didn't give that enough thought." He pats his stomach. "I think they love you a lot."

"Maybe." I let out a breath as I cuddle closer to him. "Maybe they just don't like the risk that comes with opening the bakery. I don't know. There were years when we didn't talk a ton."

"I wish I had something useful to say, but I don't. I don't have that experience, nothing remotely close."

"You're family to me. I know it's different, but still."

He smiles. "I appreciate that."

"If we're here more, maybe my parents will see you as their kid, too."

"Does that mean I'll have food like that all the time?"

"Now that both of them retired, I think they'll have more time to cook. But special Christmas food is reserved for the holiday only, otherwise, they won't be as special and not that much to look forward to."

"What's retired? Broken and to be replaced?"

Well... that'll be the case if my parents are machines, but for Stodax, maybe he has never heard that word to be used with beings. "No, for beings, it means that they are done with working and decided to enjoy life."

"Huh? What does that mean? No work anymore?"

"Yeah, pretty much that. Usually, beings work, save up, then retire when they have enough to spend for the rest of their lives. Some made it earlier, some took longer. Well, some stay at their work for a long time if they enjoy their work too."

"Oh... I see." His gaze turns distance, which happens when he runs into something foreign to him. "I can't imagine no work."

"It's just like what we do when the bakery is closed. Well, that happens once a year." I let out a soft laugh. "When we own a business, it's hard to step back."

He muses. "So, you wake up, walk around, watch movies, eat, then sleep. Do that all the time for years."

"Every day can be different, silly. Beings travel to cities and planets to enjoy the different cultures, food, and something like that. Some enjoy more time with their friends. When we get to it, we can meet other beings and make friends too."

"That sounds busy."

I tap his horn. "That's the point. To enjoy life and to try out different things."

He pulls me onto his lap and nibbles my neck. "Meeting you makes me feel like a dummy, but I won't trade that for anything."

"Maybe all you can think about is the time you can spend fucking me."

He laughs. "I suppose we can try different locations by then."

"Indeed. Whatever we do, with you, it's never boring."

"Same. I can't ask for more when I have you here with me."

We kiss again, melting each other with the Christmas vibe in the house. His warm lips light me on fire. I want him. I hug him tighter. It's a lot better when I sit on his lap, then we can see each other's eyes easily, and it'll feel like we're of similar height.

Stodax...

There are footsteps heading our way. I shudder and get off Stodax, finding my way to the couch again.

It's Father peeking in. "So, I hope you are ready for dessert. Mother is setting the table."

Stodax sucks in a breath. "Oh, dessert."

"Yes, come over when you're ready."

I chuckle. Father turns around to head back to the dining room, ignoring Stodax's wide eyes. I pat Stodax's thigh. "And such is Christmas for you."

"Um... Maybe it'll be fine to visit your family once a year."

I laugh and nudge him to come with me. It sure is a bit wild over here.

But it's Christmas after all.

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