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Whizzer hated late shifts.
Especially tonight — the eve of Marvin’s birthday.
By the time he got home, the apartment was dark and quiet, and Marvin was no doubt already passed out in bed. At least that gave him time to wrap the presents he’d somehow still managed to avoid wrapping. Every night that week he’d found a new excuse to leave it until tomorrow.
Well.
Now tomorrow had officially arrived to bite him in the ass.
He dragged himself toward the bedroom, already mentally planning how quietly he could sneak the gifts back out from beneath the bed. (Yes, he hid presents there. So what? Marvin didn’t know his special hiding spots.) But the moment he stepped into the room, he stopped short.
Marvin looked utterly dead to the world.
He was sprawled diagonally across the mattress, half-undressed, one arm hanging limply off the side of the bed.
Whizzer shook his head fondly. “God, Marvin… how much did you drink?”
Clearly too much with his friends tonight.
Sighing softly, Whizzer crossed the room and tugged Marvin’s hoodie off carefully, leaving him in the loose t-shirt underneath. He grabbed a pair of pyjama bottoms from the chair nearby and wrestled them awkwardly onto Marvin’s legs. Marvin, completely boneless, offered absolutely no help.
“Shit, baby, you’re heavy,” Whizzer grumbled, hauling him further beneath the covers.
A sleepy little groan escaped Marvin in response. Whizzer rolled his eyes immediately. “Oh, stop complaining, jackass. You’re the one who refuses to come to squash with me.”
Despite the teasing, he tucked the blankets around him carefully before brushing Marvin’s hair back from his forehead.
Once he was satisfied Marvin was warm and comfortable, Whizzer leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his skin. “Get some sleep, ya big baby.”
He then ducked beneath the bed to rummage for the gifts, nearly banging his head twice as he squirmed around trying to reach them.
Once he’d gathered the pile, Whizzer crept over to the closet to grab the wrapping supplies Marvin obsessively stockpiled.
His boyfriend hated being underprepared for occasions like this.
Whizzer personally thought it was a little excessive.
Still… in this situation, Marvin’s obsessiveness came in handy.
Whizzer smiled to himself as he found Marvin’s favourite wrapping paper — the one covered in tiny little Snoopys.
For years, Marvin had denied loving the cartoon, even after they got together, until Whizzer came home one afternoon to find his pretty boy curled up on the sofa, completely absorbed in one of the movies.
Since then, Whizzer had treasured every tiny interest Marvin accidentally let slip.
Settling carefully back onto the bed beside him, mindful not to wake his sleeping lover, Whizzer began wrapping the gifts one by one with meticulous focus.
Marvin loved the effort Whizzer put into presentation every year, so Whizzer always tried to make everything perfect.
If only to see that bright, gummy smile.
Whizzer’s tongue peeked out between his lips as he bent over the boxes in concentration, stubbornly ignoring the exhaustion burning behind his eyes and the drowsiness slowly blurring the edges of his mind.
He was so focused on the wrapping that he barely noticed the time slipping by.
Or the sheets beside him shifting more and more restlessly.
Until a small sigh broke the silence, immediately followed by a soft, high whine.
Whizzer jumped slightly, turning just in time to see Marvin squinting blearily awake.
Immediately, Whizzer shoved the half-wrapped gift beneath the blankets and turned fully toward him.
“Whiz…?” Marvin mumbled thickly. “Mmh— when’d you get back?”
He groaned softly, suddenly aware of the exhaustion weighing down every limb.
Whizzer’s expression softened instantly.
Sliding closer, he wrapped his arms around Marvin easily, fitting himself against his side like second nature.
“Couple hours ago,” he whispered. “Did you have a fun night?”
Marvin took a long moment to process the question, still half trapped in sleep. His face pulled into a tiny frown of concentration.
“Would’ve been better with my Whizzer,” he slurred eventually, gaze drifting lazily up toward Whizzer’s messy hair like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
Then, quieter:
“He’s the only one who makes me have fun.”
Whizzer bit down on his lip hard. God, his boyfriend was adorable.
“I think you still need sleep,” he murmured fondly, pressing a quick kiss to Marvin’s cheek. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll take care of you.”
Marvin paused for a moment, then nodded easily and let his eyes drift shut once more. Whizzer grinned when soft snores quickly followed. Leaning down, he pressed one more kiss to Marvin’s forehead before carefully untangling himself from his weak grip.
“Just three more,” he murmured to himself as he returned to the pile of gifts. “Three more, then I’ll sleep.”
He glanced back once more.
Marvin had somehow already started drooling all over Whizzer’s pillow.
Whizzer snorted quietly to himself before turning back to the wrapping paper with renewed concentration.
-
Morning arrived before Whizzer fully realised the light creeping through the curtains wasn’t part of a dream.
He squinted up at the ceiling to the sound of soft birdsong outside, immediately grimacing as the pale morning light stabbed into his eyes.
“Shit.”
He’d stayed up wrapping presents so long that he’d forgotten to sleep entirely.
After Marvin had drifted back off beside him, Whizzer had started on the next three gifts.
Then the next three.
Then somehow he’d convinced himself a coffee would help, abandoned the warm bed entirely, and relocated the whole operation to the living room floor. And now the morning sat glaring at him like punishment. With a groan, he dropped back against the couch cushions as his muscles finally began to protest.
Marvin was going to kill him.
It was one thing surviving night shifts. It was another thing not sleeping at all. He let his eyes drift shut as exhaustion finally crashed over him. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
A muttered swear echoed faintly down the hallway.
Whizzer cracked one eye open just in time to see Marvin stumble into the living room like a newborn deer. His oversized sleep shirt hung loosely off one shoulder in a way Whizzer normally would’ve deeply appreciated…
If he wasn’t so fucking exhausted.
And unfortunately, the effect was somewhat ruined by the absolutely murderous expression on Marvin’s face.
Whizzer smiled weakly as Marvin stopped in the doorway, crossing his arms slowly as he took in the scene.
Wrapping paper covered nearly every available surface. Tape clung to the couch cushions. A massive pile of beautifully wrapped presents sat stacked beside the coffee table. And sprawled in the middle of it all was what probably looked like the slowly decaying corpse of Whizzer Brown.
All Whizzer could manage was a tiny singsong:
“Surpriseeee…?”
Marvin stood frozen for a moment, his brain visibly struggling to process the scene in front of him. His mouth opened and closed twice without producing a single coherent thought.
Whizzer pushed himself upright with a quiet wince as every muscle in his body protested violently. Bracing himself for Marvin’s wrath, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Instead, he heard a small laugh.
Whizzer blinked his eyes back open.
Marvin was smiling. He looked utterly exhausted — absolutely wrecked, frankly — but he was smiling.
Marvin stumbled further into the room, nearly tripping over a roll of wrapping paper.
“God,” he huffed, rubbing sleepily at his face, “and here I thought I was supposed to be the hungover one.”
He spun in a slow circle, taking in the devastation surrounding the couch, before landing his gaze back on Whizzer with a crooked grin.
“But you, Whiz? You somehow look worse than me.”
Whizzer groaned softly, dropping his head into his hands. “Sorry, Marv… this is probably not the view you wanted to wake up to on your birthday—”
“Any view that includes you is perfect.”
Whizzer looked up immediately, startled by the sincerity in Marvin’s voice.
Marvin glanced down absentmindedly at the wrapping paper sticking to his sock as he nudged it aside.
“I know it’s cheesy,” he admitted with a sleepy shrug, “but I love every part of you.”
His eyes flicked back toward Whizzer, softer now.
“Especially the messes you make.”
Whizzer’s expression melted.
Marvin collapsed beside him onto the couch a second later, immediately plastering himself against Whizzer’s side as if gravity demanded it.
“Thank you,” he murmured, arms winding around Whizzer’s waist. “For putting so much effort into this.”
Then he kissed him. Slow. Sleepy. Warm enough to make Whizzer’s chest ache. Pulling back just slightly, Whizzer let his lips brush against Marvin’s once more.
“So… you’re not mad?”
Marvin smirked lazily. “Oh, no. I’m absolutely furious.” Whizzer gulped dramatically. Marvin continued: “And for my final birthday gift, I expect you to go sleep for at least four hours.”
Whizzer frowned immediately. “What about your birthday plans?” The guilt was already creeping in. He’d hate ruining the day because of his own stupidity.
Marvin only laughed softly. “Well,” he said, snuggling closer, “I guess I’ll just have to go to brunch and bowling without you.” He paused thoughtfully. “Maybe that’ll finally teach you your lesson.”
Whizzer sighed dramatically, a soft whine bleeding into his voice. “Nooo… I wanted to be on your team.” He pouted deeper into Marvin’s shoulder. “I wanted to spoil you.”
Marvin’s expression softened immediately.
“You can spoil me all you want this afternoon,” he murmured. “For now, Cordelia gets to reap the benefits of my incredible bowling skills.”
Whizzer gasped in horror. “You’re gonna cheat on me with Cordelia?” He sat up slightly, scandalised. “What about bowling integrity? The bro code?”
Marvin blinked slowly.
“What are you even talking about, Whiz?”
Whizzer stared at him for a long moment before groaning and dropping his forehead back onto Marvin’s shoulder.
“I don’t know anymore,” he mumbled. “I’m so fucking tired.”
Marvin’s grip tightened slightly as Whizzer’s eyes slipped closed. “Get some sleep then, love,” he murmured softly. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”