Brogan’s face tightened. “Did he say something?”
Archie nodded, trying to keep his voice even though the words felt like gravel in his throat. “He told me we weren’t welcome at the Star family Christmas dinner.”
Brogan raised his eyebrows. “Why not?”
Archie hesitated for a moment. “He said two gay men were more than he could handle.”
Brogan’s jaw clenched, but his voice stayed calm. “We’ll have our own Christmas here.”
Archie nodded, but the ache in his chest didn’t ease. “He looked at me like I were a stain. Like I’d shown up to ruin something sacred.”
Brogan reached for his hand, squeezing gently. “I’m sorry.”
Archie stared at their fingers intertwined. “He said Andrew had already broken his heart. That marrying another man was a betrayal of everything he raised him to be. And now when I showed up in Foggy Basin, living with you, it was like I’m just another reminder that his version of family doesn’t exist anymore.”
A gentle warmth spread across Brogan’s face. “That’s not your fault.”
“I know,” Archie said. “But it still feels like I’m being punished for something I didn’t do.”
He leaned back against the couch, letting the warmth of the tea Brogan had made seep into his hands. “After my mom died, Uncle David stayed with us for a while. He was the only adult who didn’t treat me as if I were radioactive. He used to take me to church, buy me books, tell me I was smart. After that Andrew’s entire family visited for a week out of the year. When I went to college, they didn’t visit us anymore. Then, my dad went to prison, and everything shifted. I became a thorn in the Star family. A reminder of failure. And now? Now I’m just...unwelcome.”
Brogan moved closer, resting his head against Archie’s shoulder. “You’re not a thorn. You’re not a failure. You’re mine.”
Archie swallowed hard. “I didn’t expect it to hurt this much.”
Brogan kissed his temple. “We’ll make our own traditions. Our own tree. Our own dinner. You and me.”
Archie nodded slowly. “Yeah. Us.”
And even though the ache didn’t vanish, it dulled a little. Because Brogan was here. Because Archie wasn’t alone. And maybe that was enough to heal the parts of him that had been abandoned too many times.
“My dad called today. Asked if I was coming home. I told him no because I had someone special here.”
“So, it’s just us, then?”
Brogan smiled, that slow, steady kind of smile that always made Archie feel like the world wasn’t so bad. “We’ll make our own Christmas dinner together. Then enjoy each other.”
“Sounds good.”
Brogan leaned in and kissed him again, slower this time. Like he meant it. Like he always meant it.
They settled into grading homework after that, the silence broken only by the scratch of pens and occasional sighs. Archie glanced over at Brogan, who was frowning at a student’s essay that had somehow turned photosynthesis into a conspiracy theory about aliens. He looked so focused, so at ease in this little rhythm they’d built together.
A humming sensation coursed through Archie’s chest. The one that whispered, “This is right. Two teachers grading homework together, side by side.” The silent chaos lingered in a shared space. It wasn’t flashy, but it was real.
“You know,” Archie said, nudging Brogan’s leg, “I used to think grading would be the worst part of teaching.”
Brogan didn’t look up. “And now?”
Archie grinned. “Now I think it’s the part where I get to sit next to you and complain about it.”
Brogan finally looked over, eyes crinkling. “Romantic.”
“Tragic,” Archie corrected. “But also, yeah. Kind of romantic.”
They finished the last paper around the same time, both groaning as they stacked the mess into a neat pile. Brogan stretched, arms overhead, shirt riding up just enough to make Archie’s brain short-circuit.
Archie looked away, smirking. Madly in love, he thought. That’s what Brogan is.And maybe I am too. But he didn’t say it. Not yet. He just reached for his tea and let the warmth settle in.
