Shane had never seen Moore Wood so packed.

Sure, he had hoped a decent crowd would show up for the concert, but he hadn’t expected half of the town to be in attendance. The concert mostly attracted families, which wasn’t too surprising, since the park was also hosting Santa Claus that night for children to meet. The park itself also drew people in, as it had been redecorated into a Christmas wonderland, all of it filled with light displays. Most of it was fairly traditional, the trees strung with strands of lights, with bright snowflakes or candy canes hanging from light posts, which cast the park into a warm, romantic glow once night fell.

There was also a path filled with cuter, more childish displays, which Shane supposed was to entertain the children, as Santa Claus was set up in the middle of the area. He could see in the distance a small line of children waiting to sit on the lap of the man wearing a red and white costume, to tell him their Christmas wishes and to be given a bit of candy in return.

The concert, meanwhile, was set up on a small stage that had been put up near the pond. The lights reflecting off the surface of the water served as a stunning backdrop. The students were all clustered around the back of the stage, everyone dressed in red sweaters and dark slacks with Santa hats on. They shuffled about with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, peeking around the stage at the crowd starting to build on the other side.

Shane checked his watch, then cleared his throat. “Okay everyone. It’s about time to start. Everyone ready?” He was met with a chorus of yeahs and yeses, some more confident than others. He smiled reassuringly. “Y’all are going to be amazing. You’ve worked your butts off, and no matter how things turn out, I’m proud of you.”

He ushered them all up onto the stage and into their positions. Gwen had to be helped up, but soon she was settled down in her wheelchair, right up front. The crowd loitering nearby started to move closer and settle in once they saw the concert was going to start, and Shane took a moment to look over the audience.

He saw a lot of familiar faces, sitting on blankets or folded out lawn chairs, or just lounging on the grass. He recognized a lot of parents of the students, looking on proudly, but there were others who caught his attention as well. There was an adorable gay couple sitting with a young girl with curly red hair, who was bouncing up and down with excitement, clutching a candy cane Santa had likely given her. Andre and Grayson were there too, sitting right up front while Andre snapped pictures with a camera. But he didn’t feel his heart jump up into his throat until he saw Zach, who was standing beside them. Their eyes met and Zach smiled, a hand lifting to wave excitedly.

Shane grinned back and returned the wave before moving to get into place at the front of the choir. Now he had all the more reason to help the kids blow this concert out of the park.

His chin lifted, hands raising so the students knew to prepare themselves. Then he drew his hand down, a silent cue.

They sang beautifully. Shane hadn’t doubted their talent or commitment in the slightest, but even he was impressed. They managed to harmonize well, and the soloists shined when it was their time, without overwhelming the rest of the choir. The music was all a cappella, which could be risky if not done properly, but they managed to create a sound that resonated out through the park beautifully. All the while Shane kept bobbing his head and moving his hands along with the music, making sure they were able to keep on beat, and mouthing words along with the song in case anyone forgot.

He only let himself glance back at the crowd in between songs, but as each ended more and more people were drawn in, until the stage was surrounded with people enjoying some Christmas cheer. They sang the classic Christmas carols: Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and so on. Songs everyone would know and could hum or sing along to if they wished, while the newer Christmas songs offered something more contemporary and upbeat to make sure people wouldn’t get bored.

When the concert finished he beamed proudly at the choir, and clapped loudly along with the roaring applause from the audience. They all bowed and waved sheepishly, and only once they had their moment did he turn and give his own bow.

“Thank you for coming, everyone,” he called out. “We appreciate your love and support more than we can express. If you’re feeling the Christmas spirit, we have a donation box up here by the stage. Anything given will go directly to funding the choir, so we can go to competitions and continue working and growing. Thank you again, and Merry Christmas!”

He smiled at the applause, and watched a moment as he spotted parents handing their kids some cash so they could rush up and tuck it away into the donation box. Some adults came up as well, along with a group of older ladies who came by to tell Shane how beautifully the kids had sung. Shane thanked everyone who donated, no matter how much it looked like. They weren’t likely to get a lot, but every little bit helped.

When he stepped off the stage he could see Zach approaching. His heart jumped upwards again, his smile spreading even more at the sight of him.

He was holding a bouquet of flowers against his chest.

“That was incredible!” Zach exclaimed, stopping in front of him. “I mean, I expected it to be good, but wow—everyone was really talented.”

“They were,” he agreed, struggling to take his eyes off the bouquet to look up at the taller man. “I’m glad you managed to come by.”

“Like I said… wouldn’t miss it.” Zach cleared his throat, then thrust out the bouquet. “Uh, here. Giving musicians flowers after shows is a thing, right? I thought about throwing them on stage after but I figured maybe that’d be a bit much.”

Shane could feel some of the students eyeing them, even heard some faint whispered ‘Awww’s. He was suddenly glad for being black so he couldn’t be seen blushing, which was exactly what Zach was doing. He reached for the bouquet and looked it over. It had red roses with white flowers, little glittery red balls and bells placed throughout it to give it a Christmasy feel. It was beautiful.

No one had ever given him flowers before.

“Wow, Zach… this is…” He didn’t even know what to say. “This is great.”

Ugh, lame.

Zach rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. “I’m glad you like them. Um…” He looked around a moment, then back at Shane hopefully. “You still… want to hang out? When you’re done here?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.” His lips quirked upwards.

“Cool. I actually gotta talk to Jesse for a moment—but just let me know when you’re good to go.”

“I will.” Shane nodded, then watched as Zach slipped off to where Millie and Jesse were standing off to the side. He couldn’t hear what he was saying to them, but he saw him pull a piece of paper out to hand to Jesse. The teen looked surprised, then a little shy, but was smiling.

He didn’t have time to spy for much longer, as parents were coming up to speak to him. A couple even thanked him for getting their kids to fall in love with music and singing, which warmed his heart even more. All the while he held the flowers to his chest protectively.

Eventually, the crowd started to thin. Once most of the students had wandered off with their parents or in clusters on their own, he moved to the donation box to open it and count out the cash. It was only a few hundred dollars, but would be enough to help pay entry fees for competitions coming up at least. Not like they got much funding from the school, and weren’t likely to until they won prizes and gained a good reputation for the school. It was a hard cycle to get started.

Once he’d noted down the amount and tucked it into an envelope to stow away, he looked around. He saw Zach loitering off to the side under a tree, looking like a scene off of a classy Christmas card with the lights hanging above him.

“Hey, you done?” Zach asked as he approached.

“Yep.” He stopped beside him, grinning upwards. “All in all, it went great, I think. But maybe the night will get even better,” he teased.

Zach dipped his head shyly. “Ha. Hopefully. Um… Do you maybe want to, uh, go for a walk? Around the park? Seems a shame to not see all of it, you know. It looks pretty…”

“I’d love to,” Shane replied, nudging him lightly with his elbow.

They started off at an easy stroll together. Zach’s long legs made him a little naturally faster paced, but he seemed to be trying to keep to Shane’s speed so they could walk beside each other. After a minute or so he worked up the courage to shift the bouquet to his off hand, so he could reach over and grip Zach’s. To his relief the squeeze was returned. They laced their fingers together, walking hand in hand.

The park really was stunning. There was no snow in Texas, of course, but the lights and decorations were bountiful enough on their own. They walked under tunnels made from arches of lights stretched over the path, past giant lit up candy canes, and a glowing life size version of Santa’s sleigh, with rows of elegant sparkling reindeer stretched out in front of it. It was getting a little chilly, but not uncomfortably cold thanks to their coats. Shane didn’t mind, as it just gave him more reason to walk closer to Zach, to share their warmth. There was silence between them for a while, save for the occasional comment on how pretty or cool the lights were, but it was a comfortable quiet.

Shane wondered if Zach was feeling as nervous as he was in such a romantic setting.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “What was it that you gave Jesse? Sorry for snooping, but I saw you give them something…”

“Oh! That was the contact information of this guy—he works at Phoenix. He’s trans, and pretty young still. When I told him about what they were going through, he asked if I would give them his number and email. Just in case Jesse ever needed someone to talk to who… you know, understood.”

Shane smiled warmly. “Wow. That’s really nice of him.” He looked forward over the lights, then sighed happily. “It’s cool to see so many people caring, you know?”

“Of course people care.” Zach’s hand squeezed gently. “Have you been tracking the petition? Looked on social media? It’s blowing up.”

“I’ve seen, yeah.” He shifted a little closer, enough their arms brushed together as they walked. He tilted his head so it could rest briefly on Zach’s shoulder. “Thanks to you.”

“Thanks to you. This is all your doing, you know.”

Shane laughed softly. “Remind me of that when this actually works. I just hope it doesn’t blow up in everyone’s faces.”

“It won’t,” Zach assured softly.

Then Shane felt lips brushing his forehead, sending a little jolt of shivers down his spine. He smiled and snuggled in closer to Zach’s side. They walked slowly and quietly for a few moments before Zach spoke up again.

“I finished the article. I’ve already emailed it to Jesse and Millie, but… maybe you can look it over later too. Make sure everything is all right.”

“Mm. That sounds good,” he murmured. “Later, though. I don’t want to get too emotional right now. Just want to enjoy… this.”

“Okay,” Zach agreed softly. But then he chuckled. “But I do want to go into Santa’s wonderland. Look at how cute it looks!”

Shane lifted his head to peer forward, then laughed when he saw they had wandered closer to the kids’ light displays. “Oh, hell yeah. We got to check this out.”

Zach grinned, eyes shining brightly, before he was dragging Shane forward and under the arch of lights that had large nutcrackers on either side, standing guard to their corny, kitschy Christmas kingdom.

“Aww, look at the lil munchkins,” Shane cooed as he saw the line of children waiting to meet Santa in his little workshop made of lights. There weren’t very many left, with it getting late, but there were a few still waiting. He had to admit, the actor they’d gotten to play Santa was a good choice. He was pleasantly plump and jolly, and even had a big beard. The children were obviously loving him.

“They’re pretty adorable,” Zach agreed. “Think you’ll ever want kids?”

“Without a doubt,” Shane replied, glancing up at him. “Though I’d rather try to adopt. I’ve seen for myself how many kids there are needing a home.”

Zach had looked nervous at first at the mention of children, but then his eyes softened and he gave a more serious nod. “Yeah. I can get that. And I think that’s really great, for what it’s worth. Adoption sounds amazing.”

Images flickered through his head beyond his control. Thoughts of how wonderful a dad Zach would make. What it would be like to raise a child alongside him. A loving family cooking meals together, and later Shane singing the kids lullabies until they fell asleep. The images came from his subconscious and took over, leaving him feeling full of light and joy, and it took Shane a moment before he could squash them down and regain control.

It was silly to think of that sort of thing before he even knew if Zach was his boyfriend or not. Hell, they’d only had one kiss.

But it was a nice thought.

What was next? He’d start doodling ‘Shane+Zach’ surrounded by a cartoon heart on his notebooks?

He snorted softly at his own foolishness, but had to mask it as a cough when Zach gave him a curious glance.

Thankfully the light displays gave him the perfect distraction, as they were coming up upon a lit up scene depicting a doofy-looking elf holding a candy cane in a very… unfortunate position. It came off looking kind of phallic.

“There’s no way that isn’t intentional,” Shane said as he stared in a mixture of horror and amusement.

Zach glanced over, blinked at the display for a moment, then it seemed to hit him what Shane was seeing, and he started giggling. “Oh god. That’s awful. Surely it’s not…”

“Maybe not. Maybe the elf just really loves candy canes.” He teased. “Licking them, sucking them…”

“Okay, nevermind. You are the one that’s awful.” Zach laughed.

“Hey. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good suck on a candy cane, Zach.” He smirked. “How else is he gonna get a white Christmas in Texas?”

“Stooop,” Zach groaned, going red while he tried to control his snickering.

Shane bit his lip, watching Zach struggle. Zach getting all red-faced and struggling for breath was… oddly arousing. The romantic walk had already made him bold, so he threw caution to the wind and leaned in closer until their chests were pressed together. He looked up at him, a challenge in his eyes.

“Make me.”

Zach stopped laughing suddenly, his chest swelling with a sharp inhale of breath. He looked down into Shane’s eyes, and for a few seconds just stared, frozen in place.

Then they both moved at once, their lips clashing together. The kiss came more firmly than their last, and he wrapped his arms around Zach’s middle to draw him closer, soaking in his body heat.

The world fell away from them, leaving them in their bubble of warmth and growing passion. Shane sucked at Zach’s lower lip and shivered when he heard Zach whimper softly. The hand not busy holding flowers slid underneath Zach’s coat so he could brush fingers along his lower back, and Zach responded by pushing his hips forward a bit, and his lips parted to let Shane suck on his tongue instead.

This was definitely a different kiss. Shane was starting to feel lightheaded, drunk with desire.

He wanted Zach so much. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, experience every new sensation of being with a man.

He wanted to love him. The realization hit him like a tidal wave.

One he was more than happy to drown in.