{"id":56,"date":"2016-12-22T06:24:39","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T06:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/?p=56"},"modified":"2016-12-22T06:24:39","modified_gmt":"2016-12-22T06:24:39","slug":"december-22nd-quake-rattle-and-noel-by-dawnwind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/?p=56","title":{"rendered":"December 22nd- Quake, Rattle, and Noel by Dawnwind"},"content":{"rendered":"

As earthquakes go, it wasn\u2019t all that impressive. Hutch had lived in Southern California long enough to know the vagaries of plate tectonics, not to mention the subtle differences between a three on the Richter scale and a four. This one had to be slightly over four\u2014possibly a four point two\u2014lasting close to twenty seconds with a series of sharp jolts and a bit of rolling in the middle. The windows rattled noisily and the pile of Christmas cards slithered off Hutch\u2019s desk onto the floor. Plus, there was that awful rumbling sound, like a far away freight train advancing rapidly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tossed bodily onto Starsky by a particularly rough jolt, Hutch grabbed the back of the couch with both hands. Starsky jerked to his feet as if about to run for the supposed protection of a framed doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

The shaking abated. The lights flickered. The TV screen went to snow and then blinked out as the power cut off abruptly just as Ebenezer Scrooge proclaimed his fear of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, stillness settled over the apartment, a weird sense of peace as if the Earth was apologizing for its tantrum. Hutch knew without any kind of geological insight that this was a random quake. There would be no aftershocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFuck,\u201d Starsky said succinctly, sitting down. \u201cNow we won\u2019t get to see the end of the movie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve seen A Christmas Carol<\/em>,\u201d Hutch said absently, straining to hear beyond the walls of the building. For what, he wasn\u2019t sure. People injured or in distress? Catastrophe? Despite the power outage, he knew that most Bay City earthquakes caused little to no damage. Didn\u2019t stop his galloping heart rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dark seemed weirdly darker than usual, especially since it was only five pm. Starsky\u2019s illuminated watch glowed overly bright in the blackness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve seen that movie every year since you were ten. You said so yourself,\u201d he finished his own statement to give some sort of semblance of normalcy to the evening. Should he be doing something useful rather than sitting here next to Starsky on the couch?<\/span><\/p>\n

There were no screams coming from the street. No annoying car alarms set off by the vibrations from the shifting ground. So why did Hutch feel so off-kilter? As if he were meant to do something different. Something new.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get some candles so we don\u2019t have to open presents by feel,\u201d Starsky said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe power won\u2019t be out that long!\u201d Hutch said, unaccountably irritated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCandles in the kitchen?\u201d Starsky prompted as if he\u2019d expected Hutch to be up and telling him where to go immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrawer by the sink.\u201d Hutch pointed in that direction, then realized Starsky couldn\u2019t see his hand and let it drop onto his lap. He was hard. When had that happened?<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky stood up, moving confidently through the house to the kitchen. Without the light from street lamps, it was so murky Hutch couldn\u2019t actually see Starsky. But there were no bumps or muttered curses from him colliding with furniture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch let out a breath he hadn\u2019t consciously been holding, squinting as if he could see Starsky. With his eyes growing more accustomed to the dark, he made out a vaguely blacker man-sized shape in the kitchen as Starsky opened the fridge.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWant anything?\u201d Starsky called. \u201cMay as well eat anything that could spoil since you think the electricity\u2019ll be out for a while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeer,\u201d Hutch answered, hands cupped over his bulge. What was it about an earthquake that had him aroused? Like the punch line to the old joke about making the earth move\u2026. What had he been thinking about right before the quake?<\/span><\/p>\n

He and Starsky had been spread across the couch, half intertwined as they often were when watching a movie, Starsky snug against Hutch\u2019s left side, eating from the bowl of popcorn tucked between his legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instinctively, Hutch put out a hand and found the popcorn, setting the nearly empty bowl onto the coffee table. In those last seconds before the irrefutable proof of California\u2019s unstable nature, Hutch had reached over to take a handful of popcorn and grabbed hold of Starsky\u2019s groin instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh. That.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

No wonder Starsky hadn\u2019t said anything in the immediate aftermath. He\u2019d been in shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch thought back to the sensations that had flooded him in that far too brief contact: the fingers of his left hand brushing against Starsky\u2019s curls along the back of the couch, his right practically clamped over Starsky\u2019s denim-covered cock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey.\u201d Starsky was suddenly standing directly in front of him without Hutch having any awareness that he\u2019d returned from the kitchen. \u201cYou want this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky unerringly placed the chilled bottle against Hutch\u2019s hot hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cY-you find the candles?\u201d Hutch asked, startled out of his reverie.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDecided we didn\u2019t need them.\u201d Starsky sat down, the cushions sinking under his weight, almost dumping Hutch over onto his lap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch had to clutch the arm of the couch to orient himself. \u201cI thought\u2014\u201c he started, feeling confused. What was Starsky talking about?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you ever close your eyes in the dark?\u201d Starsky asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

His voice was low and husky, with a mysterious quality that made Hutch want to grab something other than the nubby fabric under his fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I do that?\u201d he forced himself to say, throat dry as dust. He took a swallow of beer, so shockingly cold that his tongue went numb. \u201cIt\u2019s already dark.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to see.\u201d Starsky put both hands on Hutch\u2019s cheeks, turning Hutch toward him. \u201cWhen the lights are out,\u201d he said very softly. He stroked up the sides of Hutch\u2019s face, running both thumbs across the silky hair of Hutch\u2019s brows. Gently pressing the pads of his fingers over Hutch\u2019s eyes to close them, he whispered. \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou.\u201d With his eyes shut, the world seemed brighter; flashes and pops of brilliant color surrounded the afterimage of Starsky\u2019s curls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emboldened by some divine providence brought on by a Christmas Eve earthquake, Hutch breached the mere inches between them and kissed Starsky\u2019s mouth. There was no fumbling, no awkward attempt to find the right angle like his first kiss with Mary Jane Larson in the ninth grade. This was exactly right.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Starsky said, sounding smug. \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you know?\u201d Hutch murmured, burying his fingers in Starsky\u2019s luxuriant hair, inhaling the unique scent of his partner. Starsky smelled of beer, the potted evergreen he\u2019d hauled in earlier to use as a Christmas tree, and a hint of leather jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just did, \u2018specially after you pawed my dick.\u201d Starsky chuckled, his lips grazing Hutch\u2019s with tantalizing sweetness. \u201cWas planning on it being my Christmas present\u2014at least I hoped so. Earthquake kind of forced my hand.\u201d Resting his head in the curve between Hutch\u2019s shoulder and neck, Starsky nuzzled against Hutch\u2019s cheek, pressing kisses wherever he could reach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch kissed him deeply, emotions flooding his soul. Love for Starsky, the best man in his life. Arousal for Starsky, the sexiest person he knew. And gratitude\u2026for the capricious nature of the San Andreas fault, which had thrown them together\u2014literally.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky chuckled, hugging Hutch closer, his hard cock shoved against Hutch\u2019s. When had their groins aligned so perfectly? Hutch would only have to slide a hand between their bodies and pull down Starsky\u2019s zipper. Maybe Starsky would unzip Hutch\u2019s\u2014and they could\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch wasn\u2019t sure there was a specific word for that delicious image of their merging, naked flesh rubbing together, causing friction, causing moving\u2026starting a quake that he\u2019d never recover from. Who needed electricity when he had Starsky? He rose, pulling his partner with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lights came on, brilliant after the darkness. To his dazzled eyes, Starsky seemed to glow with inner radiance. Kissing was more powerful in the brightness\u2014no longer a secret. This was real, verified.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch felt renewed, reborn.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the TV, Scrooge was waking to a suddenly wonderful Christmas morning, a new man.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deftly unzipping his own fly, Starsky muttered, \u201cTurn the TV off,\u201d and inserted his hand exactly where Hutch had been hoping he would. Starsky pulled down Hutch\u2019s zipper to free the captive. After the brief command, he locked lips with Hutch as if the connection was necessary for life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch was certain that it was, but he could still bluff. \u201cThought you wanted to watch the end,\u201d he countered, beginning to steer them toward the bedroom one step at a time. Directing four legs\u2014plus two cocks anxious to catch up on lost time\u2014was a bit like the time he and Starsky placed last in the annual police inter-departmental three-legged race. Frustrating with a side of stimulation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky tightened his grip around both cocks, which did all manner of amazing things to Hutch\u2019s already heightened arousal. He wanted to shove Starsky against a wall and have him there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve\u2014\u201c Starsky inhaled, almost swallowing Hutch\u2019s thrusting tongue in the process, \u201cI\u2019ve seen Christmas Carol<\/em> before. You\u2014naked\u2014is all new.\u201d He reared back so suddenly, still holding securely to his prize, that Hutch almost stumbled against him. \u201cI want to see you naked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not one to take opportunity for granted, Hutch noticed that Starsky was indeed up against the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom. \u201cYou go first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky gazed intensely at Hutch, then slowly swept his eyes from the crown of Hutch\u2019s head to the crown of his penis, leaving behind scorching heat. Sure he was sizzling, Hutch wanted to rip off every stitch of clothing immediately. Since he\u2019d told Starsky to do so, he waited, albeit breathlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about\u2014?\u201d Starsky waggled their snugged cocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The motion sent skyrockets through his brain, his core thrumming like he was sitting astride Starsky\u2019s Yamaha cycle. Hutch forced himself not to come\u2014something he hadn\u2019t had to do in years. He had waited for this joining far too long. He was not going to spew like a boy with his first wet dream. He was stronger than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although when Starsky released his handful, Hutch wanted to beg him to wrap his fist around Hutch\u2019s member just once. Just one precious time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky raised his eyes to meet Hutch\u2019s with a sudden vulnerability, a rare glimpse of naked yearning changing the dynamics. Starsky shy? Uncertain about their chances as a couple? Hutch read everything and more that hovered unsaid between them, and nodded. They would weather any storm. As long as they had each other. That would not change once they had sex.<\/span><\/p>\n

For encouragement, Hutch unbuttoned his plaid shirt, dropping it onto the floor. It was both freeing and terrifying, especially the way Starsky stared at his bare chest as if awestruck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky yanked his shirt over his head, the muscles of his chest sliding over ribs and sternum with a force that made Hutch\u2019s mouth water. He captured Starsky\u2019s arms above his head, the red and green tee emblazoned with \u201cAll I want for Christmas is\u2014\u201c held like a flag of surrender in one hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike that,\u201d Hutch said, latching onto one of Starsky\u2019s pert nipples with his mouth. Starsky cried out, lust peaking his nipple to a hard mound that seemed to surge onto Hutch\u2019s tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cH-hutch\u2026\u201d Starsky stuttered, husky with need. \u201cI want\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Hutch asked, his tongue gliding from one nipple to the other, a skater on a hairy rink. He liked the crispy rasp of Starsky\u2019s chest hair against his tongue and did it a second time for fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky nearly melted against the wall, his knees buckling, his breathing coming in noisy gasps that spurred Hutch on. He swept his arms around Starsky\u2019s shoulders and hips, lifting him up as he once had in 1975, at the Italian restaurant. So long ago. So many opportunities lost. This was their Christmas present. They could celebrate with\u00a0linguini with clams later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPut me down!\u201d Starsky squirmed ineffectually. \u201cI\u2019m not some prince you can take back to your castle and have your way with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He was heavy. Hutch could concede that point. \u201cNot so sure you have a valid argument. It\u2019s my castle,\u201d he glanced around at the familiar walls with a slight smugness as he carried Starsky, \u201cand you\u2019re my prince.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In retaliation, he dumped Starsky onto the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky bounced, laughing. \u201cWhat does that make you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe king,\u201d Hutch decided. He was not usually so giddy with lovers. Starsky brought that out in him. Starsky would be his very last lover\u2014for the rest of his life, if he had his way about it. \u201cI do live here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKing of Venice, huh?\u201d Legs dangling over the edge of the bed, Starsky leaned back on both elbows, almost at the right height to take Hutch in his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch could so easily imagine that happening that he shoved down his cords and stepped out of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Starsky stared directly at Hutch\u2019s erect cock, amused and very clearly horny. He licked his lips. \u201cYour scepter?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could crown you with it,\u201d Hutch teased, so light-hearted he could float away on bubbles of joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNah.\u201d Starsky sat up straight. \u201cI kinda like being the prince in this story, come to serve my king.\u201d He\u2019d clearly thought through his mission. He stroked Hutch\u2019s groin down to the crinkly blond hair clustered around the base.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sensation was fantastic, feathers with a hint of fingernails. Hutch inhaled quickly, his insides quaking as if the earth had shifted again. So much else had shifted, he wondered if the world would look completely different when he and Starsky left the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turned out, Starsky was a master at his craft. He gave Hutch the blow-job of his life. Hutch orgasmed so hard he closed his eyes to relish the aftereffects, seeing brilliant colors under his lids, reds and purples that transitioned to yellow and orange.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky held onto him, keeping him upright until he recovered. Exactly as they had always done for each other. This new phase of their lives would not change what had come before. He and Starsky had always been complete together; now they were almost merged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch laughed a bit hysterically, opening his eyes to see the one person he desired right in front of him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you laughing about?\u201d Starsky gave him a \u201ctalk to me\u201d squint.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWondering if I\u2019ll suddenly want salami for breakfast and you\u2019ll start making shakes with kelp and Vitamin E in the morning.\u201d Hutch snorted, dropping down beside Starsky, those joyful bubbles erupting inside him until he was overcome with giggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re crazy!\u201d Starsky recoiled, screwing up his face in mock disgust, clearly amused with Hutch\u2019s antics. \u201cI love you, Hutch, but that\u2019s never going to happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The laughter subsiding, Hutch lay on his side, gazing at his partner. Seeing Starsky with the eyes of a lover seemed so different, yet Starsky was exactly the same as he had always been. How could that be?<\/span><\/p>\n

Those thickly lashed blue eyes, riotous curls, and crooked grin were more precious than any gem Hutch could buy. Both he and Starsky had said, \u201cI love you\u201d before, on more than one occasion. It wasn\u2019t new and yet it was, because it felt all the more special today. This was not in jest, not a love-you-like-a-brother utterance. This was love<\/em>. The deep, abiding kind, meant to carry them through to old age. That knowledge healed wounds Hutch hadn\u2019t known he had, carried from so many damaged relationships throughout his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for real, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Hutch asked softly. \u201cLove. Real love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky smiled, that mixture of mischievous and tender that never failed to melt Hutch inside. Not that he\u2019d ever told Starsky. They had no problems discussing their feelings\u2014more easily than other men, that is\u2014but there was a limit. Guys didn\u2019t act all soapy\u2014as Starsky called it. Guys were physical; Hutch thought of the many times he had body-checked Starsky on the basketball court or smacked him on the arm simply to touch him. Or the belly pats they\u2019d both indulged in on any given occasion. Touch was what got them through the worst crises.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Starsk.\u201d Hutch took his hands, lacing their fingers together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re getting suspiciously misty eyed,\u201d Starsky accused him. \u201cYou start turning into a damp ball of Hutchinson and I\u2019m going to the Pits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn Christmas Eve?\u201d Hutch blinked away the evidence. \u201cRude, crude, and unrefined, as my mother would say. Not sporting, old chap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven scolding sounds better in a British accent,\u201d Starsky said, breaking their handhold to reverently touch Hutch\u2019s face. \u201cSince you\u2019ve convinced me not to go for a beer, what else do you have in mind?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re hard as a rock,\u201d Hutch commented, seeing Starsky\u2019s cock pushing through the gap in his open fly. \u201cAnd still wearing jeans. Could\u2026do something about that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019know what\u2019s weird?\u201d Starsky asked rhetorically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou thinking?\u201d Hutch responded as he should. No need to throw out all convention simply because they\u2019d now had sex. Once.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re hilarious,\u201d Starsky deadpanned, leaning in to kiss his lips and then his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch shivered, goosebumps popping out all over. And he wasn\u2019t cold at all\u2014more like heated from the inside out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s that I don\u2019t really care that you got your\u2026\u201d Starsky poked a finger at Hutch\u2019s soft penis as if comparing the two, \u201crocks off. Because I\u2019m happy to be here, half-naked with you. I don\u2019t want it to end. And it feels like, if we move, go back to work, once we\u2019re cops again\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could interject here and point out that we never stopped being cops.\u201d Hutch added a goofy grin for effect and was rewarded when Starsky stuck out his tongue at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, this is like magic.\u201d Starsky waved his fingers at the darkened world outside the window and the red, yellow, and blue lights strung in an apartment window across the way. \u201cLike the earthquake took us\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo Narnia?\u201d The world popped into his brain, memories of the novels his grandparents had sent from England suddenly there as if he\u2019d read them yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou read those?\u201d Starsky asked in amazement, his eyes like shining blue stars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d counter with\u2014you read those?\u201d Hutch retorted. \u201cI\u2019m the one with a mother raised in Oxford, literally \u2018round the corner from where C.S. Lewis lived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d read anything that took me away from a brownstone in New York.\u201d Starsky sat up abruptly, bringing his knees up under his chin. His penis poked out between his legs in a slightly comical manner, but Hutch was more caught up in the pensive, faraway look in Starsky\u2019s eyes. \u201cAfter my dad was shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoodletown.\u201d Hutch recalled Starsky comforting Lisa when she was going into court after she was assaulted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky nodded. \u201cAnd Wonderland, Oz. I got lost in other worlds, where magical stuff happened. Nobody died forever. No grief,\u201d Starsky said softly, turning his face to rest his cheek on his knees and still look at Hutch. \u201cMa saw what was going on, knew I was in a bad place, so she sent me to California. Supposed to be warm in the winter, to give me a change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour mom is the smart one in the family.\u201d Hutch listened, gently playing with one of Starsky\u2019s curls, drawing it out so that it would spiral around his finger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArrived on the coldest fucking Christmas Eve Bay City had had in years.\u201d Starsky chuckled. \u201cAnd there was an earthquake. Probably barely a three point five\u2014nothing major, but I was shook to the core.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood God,\u201d Hutch replied, molding his hand to the back of Starsky\u2019s head, fingers nestled in the curls.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI figured Ma was just plain wrong about California. You couldn\u2019t go swimming in December and there weren\u2019t any palm trees on the street where my aunt lived.\u201d Starsky smiled ruefully, leaning into Hutch\u2019s caress. \u201cFrost at noon, and the ground moving when I walked into the house was more like one of those stories than anything I coulda imagined.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He rested his head on Hutch\u2019s shoulder and Hutch pulled him in close. \u201cRough beginning, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut the house was lit up for Christmas\u2014fire in the hearth, stockings hung on the mantel. Ma\u2019s whole apartment; the place me, Nicky, Ma, and my pop used to live in together woulda fit into Aunt Rose\u2019s front room.\u201d He closed his eyes as if picturing the scene. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen the house. Next to John Blaine\u2019s old place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have.\u201d It had been brown with white shutters with a basketball hoop over the garage. Starsky had told him the paint colors had been white with black shutters in his day, but the hoop was the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOl\u2019 Bing was singing songs on the stereo, my Uncle Bob was making crab for dinner\u2014something I\u2019d never eaten\u2014and my cousins were stringing popcorn for the tree.\u201d Starsky huffed out a breath, clearly reliving his feelings of other-worldliness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSounds a bit like the Christmases at our house in the fifties,\u201d Hutch said, wanting to step back in time to tell that fourteen-year-old Davey that everything would work out. \u201cExcept for the crab. We always had duck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike any kid, I knew about Santa and getting presents for Christmas,\u201d Starsky went on. \u201cEven though we didn\u2019t celebrate, and no matter what some people think, Chanukah\u2019s not the same holiday. The candles\u2014the hope of light is the same, though. I needed that hope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow long had your father been dead by then?\u201d Hutch prompted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe died in August\u2014blistering hot, the streets all sticky like the tar was melting.\u201d Starsky bit his lip. \u201cI needed to find something good about life again, and there wasn\u2019t much left in New York. Uncle Bob read the story of Jesus\u2019 birth from the Bible\u2014about the baby in swaddling clothes, angels, n\u2019wisemen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLuke?\u201d Hutch asked. He was a minister\u2019s grandson, he liked to keep his Gospels straight. \u201cSeems kind of strange since you were raised Jewish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think they were just doing what they always did on Christmas Eve,\u201d Starsky answered philosophically. \u201cAunt Rose converted to Christianity when she got married.\u201d He pointed to the Christmas tree just visible in Hutch\u2019s living room, the colored lights softly glowing. \u201cAll of a sudden, I had fantasy\u2014the whole damned thing was terrific. There were presents for me, eggnog and crab at the same time, which Ma wouldn\u2019t never have done \u2018cause it\u2019s tref\u2014y\u2019know\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch knew enough about Jewish dietary laws to remember that shellfish were not kosher. Drinking dairy with meat was breaking yet another law. \u201cLeviticus,\u201d he said, to prove his Old Testament knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky rolled his eyes in teasing disdain. \u201cWe didn\u2019t ever go swimming that winter, but the sun came out the next day and I played basketball with my cousins Ed and James. It was all kinda magical. To me, it didn\u2019t matter how people worshipped. Just that there was love and a way out of sadness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou found religion?\u201d Hutch asked, quite surprised, because Starsky had never mentioned any of this before. He didn\u2019t go to Jewish services. He owned a Star of David and a menorah, had even once muttered a prayer in Hebrew over a rabbi killed in a robbery on Washington Street. Hutch was the one who felt the urge, the deep need to pray in a church once in a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNah. Didn\u2019t go to church or nothing. Christmas was something I wanted to celebrate forever. Life, love, miracles… Hope.\u201d Starsky stretched out his legs suddenly, rubbing his calf. \u201cGot a cramp,\u201d he whined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch gladly massaged Starsky\u2019s jeans-covered calf. This had been such an amazing and utterly different evening that what he\u2019d expected. He wasn\u2019t sure what was going to happen next, but he wanted to find out. \u201cBut you stayed in California.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Ma phoned to send me a return ticket, I told her I wanted to go to Bay City High for a semester. Turns out I graduated from there.\u201d He placed both hands over Hutch\u2019s, squeezing. \u201cI\u2019d found my place. It wasn\u2019t perfect yet\u2014far from it. There weren\u2019t the same kind of gangs as in New York, but I hung with some rough kids, like Huggy and Jackson Walters, but they got me through. I got through \u2018Nam, and then\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWent to the police academy,\u201d Hutch finished, because he knew how the story ended. Or how it began. He\u2019d found his place in the narrative. \u201cI met you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI met you,\u201d Starsky corrected with a devilish smile. \u201cA Minnesota blond Viking with all those rigid rules on what to do and how to do them. Cured you of that, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTaught me a few things, as well,\u201d Hutch confirmed. \u201cLearn something new from you every day, love.\u201d He insinuated his right hand between Starsky\u2019s legs, flicking his fingertips against the blunt head of Starsky\u2019s cock. \u201cLike how to make you believe in another miracle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno\u2026\u201d Starsky\u2019s introspective mood had evaporated. His soft grin was the Christmas gift Hutch would cherish forever. \u201cHelping that woman give birth the same week we earned the call sign, zebra three…. That will be pretty hard to top.\u201d Starsky gasped when Hutch closed his fingers around his erect length.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was special,\u201d Hutch agreed, remembering the feel of a wiggling, wet human being slide into his hands. \u201cLove, life, hope. Those are the most important.\u201d He ran his thumb up the underside of Starsky\u2019s cock, scraping the thick vein with his nail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky would have risen off the bed if Hutch didn\u2019t have him anchored. \u201cWhat the hell was that?\u201d he asked in astonishment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNobody ever did that to you?\u201d Hutch grinned fiendishly. Gillian had demonstrated that little trick for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cN-no, but do it\u2026again.\u201d Starsky was clearly having difficulty speaking, gulping lungfuls of air. \u201cTalk about\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA miracle?\u201d Hutch chuckled and repeated the performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky threw his head back and came, his chest arching, arms braced against the mattress. Hutch bunched up the sheet to catch the semen, grateful he and Starsky were together. He\u2019d never expected this to happen, and yet he had. Like a gift he\u2019d waited all his life to open, only to find it was exactly what he\u2019d had all along.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re my miracle, Hutch,\u201d Starsky whispered when he could speak. He peeled out of his jeans, discarding them and the wet sheet at the same time. Lying down, he melded his warm body against Hutch\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMiracle doesn\u2019t even begin to describe you.\u201d Hutch placed a reverent kiss on Starsky\u2019s breastbone, sliding his arm around Starsky\u2019s shoulders until he could feel the uneven contour of the scar on his back. Proof of survival after that December night in the Italian restaurant three years earlier. \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d He settled down against his lover, content. Not just California, but his whole world had truly shifted on its axis, and he couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll I want for Christmas is my best pal, Hutch,\u201d Starsky sang sweetly in his ear, cuddling close.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I can return the things I bought,\u201d Hutch mused sleepily, \u201csince you\u2019re satisfied with free sex\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you dare!\u201d Starsky pounced, rolling Hutch over onto his back. He gave a little bounce that echoed the jolt and roll of the earthquake\u2019s force. \u201cTime for presents!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hutch grinned up into that beloved face. \u201cAlways will be with you, babe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FIN<\/span><\/p>\n

\"quakerattlenoel\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As earthquakes go, it wasn\u2019t all that impressive. Hutch had lived in Southern California long enough to know the vagaries of plate tectonics, not to mention the subtle differences between a three on the Richter scale and a four. This … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-slash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions\/314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2016\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}