Kyle hated that the sun set so early this time of year. Though it wasn’t the dark itself that really bothered him. It was pulling into his neighborhood, full of young families, and seeing their houses lit up for Christmas, while his sat in complete darkness.

Adam admitted he hadn’t done much decorating until Kate had moved in, but Kyle knew there would never be any change in his habit of ignoring the holiday season. He didn’t know what was safe and what wasn’t, and had long ago decided not to take any chances. By now he had his own strange traditions, and it was probably better for everyone if his house remained poorly lit.

There was no such aversion to the fluorescent and neon glow of the liquor store, however. “Having a big party, huh?” the man at the counter asked as Kyle set down another couple bottles.

“Um, sort of.” Without giving the man a chance to ask anything else, he disappeared back into the bustling aisles. Everyone else was gathering up armfuls of liquor, too, but he knew they wouldn’t be drinking it by themselves. In just one night.

Aw, you won’t be by yourself. Besides, you’d kill yourself drinking it all alone.

I know, he thought.

Ooh, is that flavored vodka? It’ll be like getting drunk on candy.

Kyle fought back a laugh and grabbed a bottle.

***

Even from down the street, Kyle could see that his house wasn’t as dark as he had left it. Fearing the worst, he slowed down. Headlights were splashing light on his front door. Meaning someone was waiting for him. An uninvited guest was not a comforting thought.

I didn’t realize Adam made you that nervous.

“It’s Adam?”

I can’t fucking lie, idiot.

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just … not everyone who comes to my house has good intentions.”

Mm, and I wish more of those would show up. I’m so hungry.

“You’ll have to deal with it. Leave Adam alone.”

Yeah, yeah.

Hoping Ryka could behave himself, Kyle pulled into the driveway. “I’m surprised to see you here,” Kyle greeted. It was, after all, Christmas Eve.

“Ah, well, we had some leftovers from dinner for you, and since there was no room in the fridge, I thought I’d bring them by now.”

Tell him to keep going.

“What?” Kyle asked quietly, leaning into his trunk to grab one of the many bags of liquor he had just purchased. Adam was too busy rooting around in his own vehicle to notice.

Ask him to tell you that he’s not getting laid tonight, and it’s all your fault.

“Me? What are you -?”

But before Kyle could finish his question, Adam appeared next to him and grabbed one of the paper bags Kyle had been reaching for. “And, uh, Kate might be a little mad at me. So I thought I’d take a ride.”

He’s still too nice to say that you’re the reason she’s mad. She doesn’t think you deserve a friend like him, and he disagrees. And she’s pissed because she thinks I’ll kill him, and it will be because he was too nice.

“Are you okay?”

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kyle grabbed the rest of his stuff and elbowed the trunk closed. “Yeah, sorry. Chatty Cathy here won’t shut up.”

What the f-?

“But I should be the one asking that. Is everything alright?”

Forcing a smile, Adam shrugged and followed Kyle into the house. They set the bags and containers down on the counter, and Adam leaned back against the island. “I really did suggest saving you some leftovers. And she told me that if I was so concerned, maybe I should date you instead.”

That, Kyle thought, was a cruel suggestion. She really must have been mad. Sensing that the other man was in no hurry to get home, and probably needed a chance to vent, Kyle suggested, “How about a drink in exchange for the food?”

“That would be great.”

***

When Adam had agreed to a drink, his intention hadn’t been for that drink to consist of the better part of a bottle of rum. Of course, Kyle had consumed the rest, plus some of his own bottle. With a grimace, Kyle took another big swig, then offered more to Adam. “I’m gonna pass. I should actually get home … eventually.” Adam chuckled, hearing his own slurred words.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“If you change your mind, we’re just getting started. Come back if you want.”

“Nah, I’ll leave you two be. Can I use your phone, though? I need a cab.”

Kyle managed to nod before his head slumped back against the couch. Sighing contentedly, he rested his hands across his stomach, and as Adam watched, his fingernails grew into sharp points. The blanket on the back off the couch slid down to cover him, and Adam realized it really was time to get going.

It seemed to take forever for someone at the cab company to answer the phone, but they assured him he’d be picked up within five minutes.

“Um, I’ll come get my car tomorrow,” Adam said, mostly to cover up the silence.

“No problem,” Kyle replied, sounding even more drunk than he had been a moment ago. Adam risked a look over at him, and was relieved to see both hands back over the blanket. Though Kyle was already more flushed than the alcohol had left him. Ryka had been sending a hint he couldn’t miss, even when inebriated.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The cab arrived in less than five minutes, and Adam said his good-nights quickly.

Kyle waved a hand - now back under his control - and replied, “G’night. And thanks for the food. And for helping me drink some of this.”

“Thanks for letting me. And M-” But Adam stopped himself just in time, and recovered with, “Maybe I’ll have more food for you tomorrow. Bye.”

With liquor-blurred vision, Kyle watched the door close behind his one and only friend.

What does that make me? Ryka asked, sounding justifiably angry.

“Something even better. And I need to sit up.” Thanks to Ryka’s assistance, Kyle was able to at least prop himself up on his elbows. “Would that have hurt? If he finished saying it, I mean.”

I have no idea. And frankly, I don’t care. I want to give you a hand while you can still get it up, have you return the favor while you still have coordination, then drink myself immobile.

“That’s a great plan.”

Glad you like it.

***

Head throbbing and stomach roiling, Kyle woke with the sun Christmas morning. At least he thought it was the sun that had woken him, until he heard the obnoxious drone of a dirt bike. Someone was having a nice holiday, and it wasn’t him.

He cracked his eyes open and looked at the clock. As he had suspected, it was far too early to be awake. But nauseous as he was, he knew there was no getting back to sleep. Ryka had been too drunk to think about anything beyond making sure their liver didn’t shut down. For which Kyle was still very grateful.

He had become spoiled, though, and realized he’d forgotten how bad hangovers could be. Especially the part where he stumbled to the bathroom, barely made it to the toilet, and threw up nothing but liquid.

Panting, he collapsed onto the bathroom floor. No, he really hadn’t missed this at all.

Finally noticing his host’s distress, Ryka awoke. Why are you up?

“Neighbors,” Kyle replied quickly. The taste in his mouth was making him feel even more ill, but he was too exhausted from vomiting to get up and get a drink.

I’ll kill them for you.

“Not today; it’s a holiday. If they do this tomorrow, you have my permission.”

I’m gonna hold you to that.

Kyle couldn’t answer, because the rest of the liquor he had consumed made its return appearance. This time, at least, he was able to get up afterwards and have a drink out of the bathroom tap. And then he could tell Ryka was working his hardest to get rid of the rest of his hangover symptoms. The pressure in his head eased and the churning in his stomach quieted.

Once he felt safe leaving the bathroom, he shuffled into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, then made a b-line for the couch. “What a night.” He glanced around the room and groaned. Empty bottles littered the floor, and the two ashtrays in the room looked like hedgehogs, they were so full of cigarette butts. Even more disturbing were the two vibrators that had been left on display on the coffee table, a bottle of lube between them. And seeing those finally made him notice the big wet spot on the couch, on which he had made himself comfortable. Already, it was soaking its way through his pajama pants.

We had fun.

“Looks that way,” he replied, trying his best to scoot to the very edge of the couch, where it was still mostly dry.

You don’t remember?

Kyle thought for a few moments. Thanks to all the alcohol, he had only vague memories of their Christmas Eve. “Not entirely.”

How about a reminder?

He couldn’t be sure if he looked on his own, or if it was Ryka’s influence, but his eyes wandered back to the coffee table. He shrugged, then squirmed out of his pants. “Why not?”

***

By lunch time, the house was as clean as it ever got. Only the usual clutter remained: his briefcase, with papers needing to be graded spilling out the top; and a couple ashtrays, minus the mountains of filters. He was in the recliner, since the couch was still damp. The TV was on, but he was listening to Ryka, who was chatting away about nothing in particular.

Since he hadn’t been outside at all, he hadn’t seen Adam’s car still in his driveway, and was therefore surprised when someone rang his doorbell. And a serious nap after cleaning earlier had made him forget entirely about the car keys he had discovered. It had completely slipped his mind that his friend would at some point be coming to retrieve his vehicle. At least until Ryka said, He’s back.

Too lazy to get up, Kyle yelled for Adam to come in. He wasn’t surprised that Kate didn’t come into the house with him. In fact, he could see her car already backing out of his driveway. But she had been kind enough to send along more food.

“I know you’re not really a bachelor, but here are some more hand-outs.” Adam set four more plastic food containers on the counter. “Before Kate moved in, the old lady across the street always used to bring me food.”

“Well, thanks for being my old lady, then,” Kyle teased, struggling out of the chair. Before the food could tempt him, he put it in the fridge. “That all looks really good. But how much more did she cook? You already brought some last night?”

“I think she just felt like cooking. We have a bunch more in the freezer at home. Some of this is pre-leftovers, I guess. Part of what we’re bringing for a family dinner later.”

“Wow.”

Clearing his throat, Adam quietly added, “She felt bad. About what she said last night. Then she thought maybe you missed the food, if nothing else.”

Sometimes, Kyle forgot that Kate had once liked him enough to want to date him. It was nice to know that even though she had found out his not-so-little secret, she may have been scared, but she didn’t completely despise him.

“Well, tell her thanks. The holidays are all about food, and it’s nice having that part.”

“Hey, you have that and the gratuitous drinking.” At that, Adam recalled the point of his visit. “So, are my car keys here somewhere?”

Kyle pointed to the coffee table, where he had left them after they had turned up while he was cleaning up the mess on the couch. Or rather, flipping the cushions over to hide the stains. It was time for a slipcover, he’d thought.

“Thanks. But I have to head out. We’re going to her parents for a couple days, then to see my folks. So, I guess I’ll see you next week.”

“Yeah. Have fun. Bye.”

Just like that, the house was quiet again. Sometimes, he couldn’t decide if he really missed all the holiday commotion or not. Growing up, his aunt and cousin had always spent the holidays with him and his mother, along with one set of grandparents, at least before they’d passed. Other families from the neighborhood always stopped in, and there had very rarely been a time when there weren’t extra people in the house.

Which made his home seem empty. Although he had Ryka, they were stuck in the same body. He had the conversation, but not the crowding. But you still don’t regret it.

“Nope.”

At first, it had been difficult to cope with the fact that he had sealed a contract with a demon, and without any argument. And when Ryka had first admitted his feelings for his host, Kyle had been unsure. But things were comfortable now. They understood each other, and Kyle really did enjoy the fact that he never had to be alone. And he was sure Ryka felt the same way.

“Yeah, we have a good thing going, don’t we?”

We do. But if you stop wanting to fool around, I’m just going to force you. I’m an asshole that way.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

Hmm ….

Kyle knew where this conversation was headed, and as tempting as that was, he hadn’t eaten since the day before. “But for now, how about some of those leftovers? I’m getting hungry.”

I guess I can go for that. Save me some.

“Of course. It’s a holiday – we’re supposed to eat ourselves sick.”

You know, sometimes it looks like that’s all your species is really celebrating: food.

“Well, that’s all I can celebrate.”

I didn’t say there was anything wrong with that.

“Well, then. Merry Food Day. Let’s dig in.”