{"id":368,"date":"2023-12-13T04:44:45","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T04:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/?p=368"},"modified":"2023-12-13T04:44:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T04:44:45","slug":"december-13th-the-sixth-box-by-keri-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/?p=368","title":{"rendered":"December 13th: The Sixth Box by Keri T."},"content":{"rendered":"

Keep pushing, keep pushing, <\/em>Hutch encouraged himself. Venice Place is almost in sight, and all you have to do is focus on your breathing and this damned mile will be over.<\/em> Hutch steadied his pace, trying to time his breaths to his footsteps and maintain focus, but thoughts of Starsky crept in anyway. I wonder if he’s out of bed yet? Showered? Waiting for me?<\/em><\/p>\n

When he gratefully reached his home, he gave a final push to sprint up the stairs and walked in with his face dripping sweat. It had taken him three months of running a mile every morning to get back into shape. He used to make this run and barely break a sweat. It didn’t matter though. Hutch didn’t care that he now came home drenched;<\/strong> he had to be at his best.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Helping Starsky through PT in June and July after Gunther’s attempted assassination had improved his own health, too. Starsky had gutted his way through the grueling therapy with flying colors. He’d been reinstated to full active duty in September.<\/p>\n

He and Starsky were a little slower than they used to be, but they were a little smarter, too. A little more deliberate. A little more cautious. Almost losing everything could do that to a man,<\/em> Hutch thought, and headed to the sink for a glass of water and a paper towel to mop his face.<\/p>\n

“Is it raining,” Starsky asked, coming out of the sleeping alcove wearing a robe and a smile. “Or did you decide to go for two miles today and dehydrate yourself into a prune?”<\/p>\n

Hutch had to grin at the man he was hopelessly, madly, irrevocably in love with. Starsky’s brush with death forced them to stop pretending like they’d done for a few years. It forced them to face what they were feeling for each other. They were free now. And learning the meaning of the word passion. Just looking at Starsky made a flush start on Hutch’s neck.<\/p>\n

“Nope, no rain although it’s cold out. And, no, I didn’t hit two miles, but I ran pretty fast.”<\/p>\n

“On our day off, too,” Starsky said, heading toward where Hutch was standing at the sink. Starsky patted his stomach and didn’t comment on the sweat-soaked t-shirt, but Hutch noticed he wrinkled his nose a little which made Hutch grin. Starsky used his hip to bump Hutch aside and reached for the battered coffee pot, rinsing it out and then filling it with water. “You could’ve skipped today and stayed in bed with no judgement from me.”<\/p>\n

“I was tempted,” Hutch said. “Your ass was bare and warm and\u2026tempting, but it might be too easy to let a missed day turn into a missed week and a missed week into a missed month\u2014”<\/p>\n

“Not gonna happen, partner,” Starsky said, putting the coffee pot on the stove. “The running’s good for your head and your mood and it keeps those legs nice and toned the way I like ’em.” Starsky gave Hutch one of his flirty grins. “I’ll keep you on the straight and narrow path.”<\/p>\n

“I think you’re the one that took me off the straight path.” Hutch grabbed Starsky by the back of his belt loop and pulled him in close. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you enough for that. I’m not sure I can ever thank you enough for that.” Hutch started to fumble with the belt, his intentions clear, but Starsky batted his hands away.<\/p>\n

“You can thank me after your nice hot shower. You’re all clammy and sticky now.”<\/p>\n

Hutch laughed loudly. “You know you love me all sticky\u2026 I can make you sticky, too.”<\/p>\n

“Just let me finish the coffee, Romeo. Which, come to think of it, is another reason I like you running in the morning. It makes you hotter for me. But I’m busy right now\u2026. Should I make you some breakfast while you’re in the shower washing and,” Starsky raised a brow, “only washing, or do you just want coffee?”<\/p>\n

Hutch ignored what Starsky was implying he might do in the shower. Why would he do that when he had Starsky in the kitchen? “Hell, no, I’m starving! And I know just what I want–a cheddar cheese omelet, some yogurt with sliced oranges, and since you’ll share it with me, a big stack of toast with jelly.”<\/p>\n

“That sounds pretty good,” Starsky said, turning from the stove to face Hutch. “It’s kind of sad that all you’re going to get is a bowl of cereal\u2014but I will slice a banana on it.”<\/p>\n

Since he had already begun to imagine a gooey omelet, Hutch couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his tone. “How come? It’s our day off and we have all the time in the world to make a good breakfast, plus I just ran a mile. Why do I have to eat workday cereal?”<\/p>\n

“Because I don’t want you getting too full. We have amazing food coming today!”<\/p>\n

“Oh, geez,” Hutch said. “You’re gambling my good breakfast on whether or not UPS shows up? Which they probably won’t, and even if they do who knows what time it will be.”<\/p>\n

“They’ll show,” Starsky said confidently. “When your mom called she said it was on the way, and she said she shelled out the extra bucks to get it here today.”<\/p>\n

“Sure she did,” Hutch said, not bothering to temper his sarcasm. “Sounds just like my mom to brag about shelling out extra bucks.”<\/p>\n

“Don’t be a dick,” Starsky said calmly. “She might not have said shelled out the bucks, exactly, but she did make sure I knew she’d, you know, made arrangements<\/em>, for it to arrive today.”<\/p>\n

“Well, that’s closer to the way the mother I know sounds, and since you were the only one who talked to her, I’ll take your word for it.”<\/p>\n

“You were at the store. I would’ve handed over the phone if you’d been here.”<\/p>\n

Hutch took a minute before he tried to express his next thought, wondering if it had already dawned on Starsky that it might matter that Hutch’s mom didn’t think anything of Starsky being in Hutch’s home and answering Hutch’s phone while Hutch himself was out running errands. “Starsk?”<\/p>\n

“Yeah?”<\/p>\n

“I was wondering about my mom\u2026.”<\/p>\n

“Wondering what? If her box is going\u2014”<\/p>\n

“Not the box, Starsk. I was just wondering about her phone call and why she never asked why you were at my house when I wasn’t at my house. Is that a little weird, or do you think it could mean\u2014?”<\/p>\n

“That our August vacation to your family’s lake house maybe g0ave her a different perspective on us?” Starsky asked and answered his own question. “Yeah, I think it’s possible. We said we were going to be ourselves\u2014other than making out in front of anyone\u2014and just let your family get a look at us. As us. Prep work for when we make the big call\u2014but no dropping any big announcements on them at the lake.”<\/p>\n

Hutch smiled and gave a little nod. “Right, the big announcement to my parents and your mother will be done on the phone New Year’s Eve.”<\/p>\n

“Which is not chicken shit of us at all,” Starsky said emphatically. “If your parents want to yell and scream\u2014”<\/p>\n

“That would be a first,” Hutch said.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, but if they want to, it’s better for them to express themselves without our faces there. And as for my mom\u2014”<\/p>\n

“Your mom already knows.”<\/p>\n

“I think so, too,” Starsky agreed. “She was out here so much when I was recovering. And I caught her staring at me more than a few times with a funny expression.”<\/p>\n

“She stared at me, too,” Hutch said. “Mostly when I was cooking, though. I don’t think she liked having anyone but her cooking for her baby boy.”<\/p>\n

“Ha, ha, so she babied me a little. That’s what a mom does, and you babied me quite a bit yourself.”<\/p>\n

“True, the first few weeks. And you loved it!”<\/p>\n

“Well\u2014” Starsky started.<\/p>\n

“You loved it,” Hutch insisted. “Well\u2026 until you didn’t.”<\/p>\n

“Exactly, but back to your family for a minute\u2026 if your folks were suspicious about us, why did your mom put us in the same bedroom?”<\/p>\n

Hutch gave Starsky a pointed look. “The lake house only has three bedrooms\u2014”<\/p>\n

“I always forget what a deprived childhood you had,” Starsky said, and then burst out laughing. “Only three bedrooms in your vacation house. It must have been hell.”<\/p>\n

“You know perfectly well that that property has been in my dad’s family for decades. It’s not like he went out and built a vacation house on a professor’s salary. I mean, we weren’t poor, but you know that, too, you’re just giving me a hard time.”<\/p>\n

Starsky nodded and then gave Hutch a soft smile. “I am. Giving you a hard time is one of the things that makes my life sweet\u2026 so, we’re given the third bedroom instead of your mom sticking me on a couch.”<\/p>\n

“She’d never do that to a guest,” Hutch said. “She’d put me<\/em> on a couch before she’d put you on one.”<\/p>\n

“My point is she didn’t put either<\/em> of us on one,” Starsky said. “Your parents had one room, Carolyn and Jeff\u2014”<\/p>\n

“And their new baby,” Hutch interjected.”<\/p>\n

“And their new baby,” Starsky agreed. “The three of them had a room and we had a room and everyone seemed comfortable\u2014 It’s kind of hard to tell with your dad, though; I’m not sure how much attention he paid to anything but his camera.”<\/p>\n

“Oh, yeah, he loves that thing. Mom told me that when he retires, she’s afraid he’s going to open up his own photography studio.”<\/p>\n

“Nothing wrong with that,” Starsky said. “I wouldn’t mind doing the same when we retire.”<\/p>\n

“But you have real talent, Starsk,” Hutch said proudly. “My dad is just a beginner with a new toy.”<\/p>\n

“You might be a little biased, but thank you, partner. Anyway, I talked to him about photography and he knows quite a bit\u2014stuff he’s read in books\u2014but he’s knowledgeable. He might turn out to be a good photographer.”<\/p>\n

“He certainly took enough pictures of the lake and the moon and the birds,” Hutch said. “Maybe we’ll get to see them one day and you can tell me if he’s talented or not.”<\/p>\n

“Okay,” Starsky continued, “your dad was distracted and your sister and brother-in-law\u2014”<\/p>\n

“Were completely smitten with the baby they’ve waited five years for,” Hutch said. “They probably wouldn’t have noticed if we went skinny dipping together.”<\/p>\n

“We did go skinny dipping together,” Starsky said. “It was your idea and you said no one would wake up.”<\/p>\n

“And no one did,” Hutch said smugly. “It was 3:00 in the morning and I know all the shortcuts from the house to the lake and how to get in and out of the house quietly\u2014which we did.”<\/p>\n

“You have such weird insomnia cures,” Starsky observed. “I’d never heard of naked swimming as a sleep aid.”<\/p>\n

“I didn’t need a sleep aid,” Hutch said. “I just wanted to kiss you.”<\/p>\n

“I know.”<\/p>\n

“I know you know.”<\/p>\n

“Our bedroom door was closed, remember, you didn’t have to walk me down a dark path in the middle of the night and get me cold and wet and naked to kiss me.”<\/p>\n

“It seemed like a good idea at the time. You sure seemed to enjoy yourself.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah, it was a good idea. A nice slippery idea. I wouldn’t mind doing it again next summer\u2026if we’re invited back next summer,” Starsky said a little darkly.<\/p>\n

“Starsk, I think we’re going to be okay after we tell my parents. My mom, well, like I was alluding to earlier, I think she already has heavy suspicions. I agree with you that my dad didn’t pay much attention to us to wonder about anything, but he’s always been a pretty liberal guy. He marched for civil rights and he’s a sociology professor! I don’t think you can be one of those without being liberal. At least in Minnesota.”<\/p>\n

Hutch was happy to see a relaxed smile back on Starsky’s face. “I just don’t want what we have\u2026 our life\u2026 to make anything tough on you with your folks.”<\/p>\n

“And I don’t want our life to make anything tough on you with your mom\u2014”<\/p>\n

“She knows,” Starsky said. “I know she knows, she’s just not going to bring it up first, but if she was angry or disgusted or planning on cutting me out of her life\u2014 she would have already said so, or yelled a lot\u2014 she wouldn’t have held back. She’s a Starsky.”<\/p>\n

“Okay, that’s one out of three down,” Hutch said. “Now, I think I’ll hit the shower and imagine all the ways my parents might respond on New Year’s Eve.”<\/p>\n

Hutch started toward the bathroom when a loud thud happened outside his front door. He and Starsky looked at each other.<\/p>\n

“It’s here!” Starsky said joyously. “The best delivery of the whole year is here!” He hurried to the front door and threw it open, then stared down at the big box. “It’s here\u2026 oh, man.”<\/p>\n

“How can it be here already,” Hutch said, joining Starsky at the door. “It’s not even 8:30 yet.”<\/p>\n

“Your mom has her ways, Hutch, magical Christmas ways\u2026 now let’s get it inside and opened up!”<\/p>\n

“You’re going to be bouncing off the walls in an hour, aren’t you?” Hutch asked, carrying the box to the coffee table. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to hold you back.”<\/p>\n

“Hold me back from the five boxes of incredible cookies and fudge inside that big box? No, there’s no holding me back.”<\/p>\n

“Okay, I understand, and it’s not like I don’t enjoy my mother’s baking, too,” Hutch said. “Remember, she bakes the lemon squares because they’re my favorite.”<\/p>\n

“I know,” Starsky said, “it’s such a great tradition\u2014your mom baking each member of your family their favorite thing and then giving each one of you a whole set of them. Five boxes!”<\/p>\n

“Well, it was just four most of my life. Mom’s favorite, dad’s favorite, Carolyn’s favorite, and my favorite.”<\/p>\n

“Vanessa never got a box?” Starsky asked.<\/p>\n

“Vanessa never wanted a box. She went out of her way to make sure my mom knew that she found Christmas baking to be very pedestrian, and that she didn’t like sugar, so mom never included her.”<\/p>\n

“Vanessa’s loss,” Starsky said softly. “Like so many other good things she lost out on.”<\/p>\n

Hutch nodded, his heart as always warmed by Starsky’s love and deep belief that anyone who didn’t love Hutch was an idiot. “Well, we gained a fifth box when Jeff joined the family.”<\/p>\n

“That was a good year! That’s when we started getting those little chocolate drop cookies.”<\/p>\n

Hutch went back to the kitchen for a knife. “Think you’ll be able to pronounce my dad’s cookie this year?” he asked Starsky, making his way to the box and starting to open it. “You’ve struggled a lot before.”<\/p>\n

“Can’t we just call them powdered sugar cookies? I swear to Santa Claus I can’t say its real name and you laugh at me every time I try.”<\/p>\n

It’s not that hard\u2014fattigmann<\/em>. They’re Norwegian.”<\/p>\n

“I know that, Hutch, and so are you, which is why you can pronounce it. I’ll give you some Yiddish to try out later.”<\/p>\n

“Fair enough,” “Hutch said, feeling how big his smile was getting. It was impossible to be anything less than a smiling fool when his partner was this happy. “You can just eat them.”<\/p>\n

“Thank you,” Starsky said, beginning to draw each smaller box out and setting it down. He paused and Hutch saw a puzzled expression on his face. “Hutch?”<\/p>\n

“What?”<\/p>\n

“There’s six boxes, not five. And a letter. And something wrapped on the bottom that says ‘Do not open until you read the letter.'”<\/p>\n

“Huh,” Hutch said, taking the letter from Starsky’s hand and sitting on the couch. “I guess we better read it. Sit down next to me.”<\/p>\n

Starsky sat down, and Hutch scrunched over so they could sit together closely the way they both liked it. He opened the letter and began to read.<\/p>\n

Dear Ken and David,<\/em><\/p>\n

Merry Christmas! I hope this box will be something you can enjoy this holiday season, and I hope maybe next year, you can both enjoy some cookies in my kitchen. Dad and I would love to have you for next Christmas or any Christmas you can get away.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Wow, Hutch, I’m invited, too. It’s a joint invitation. That’s pretty\u2026.”<\/p>\n

“\u2026wonderful,” Hutch said. “I think it’s a good sign.”<\/p>\n

“Keep reading.”<\/p>\n

I think we’ll have Carolyn and Jeff and our darling baby here this year, at least for a few days, but in case the baby gets a cold or they can’t travel for some reason, I mailed their box, too. <\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone gets six boxes this year, because it’s long past time for David to have his own box.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hutch stopped reading and looked hard at Starsky who was wearing a stunned expression. “Your mom made me my own box, Hutch. Like I’m family or something.”<\/p>\n

“You’re family and everything.<\/em>” Hutch cleared his throat lightly before he continued reading.<\/p>\n

Of course, I was pretty sure I could guess your favorite, David, but I called your mother to be sure.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Your mom called my mom,” Starsky said in what could only be a tone of amazement. “Just to find out my favorite. She could have called you.”<\/p>\n

“I have a sneaking suspicion my mom wanted the sixth box to be a surprise for both of us,” Hutch said, feeling a huge wave of gratitude toward his mother.<\/p>\n

I’m glad I did, too, because I had a lovely talk with your mother. Such a charming lady! She told me that while you didn’t have Christmas cookies growing up, of course, you have always adored double chocolate chip brownies, so that’s what I baked for you and I hope you enjoy them.<\/em><\/p>\n

You both certainly noticed how much time your father spent with his camera when we were all at the lake. I’m afraid my husband has developed an obsession, but it keeps him happy. Most of his pictures came out nicely but there was one that struck us both as being exceptionally beautiful and Dad wanted to make sure I had it framed in time to include in the box. <\/em><\/p>\n

Much love to you both,<\/em><\/p>\n

Mom<\/em><\/p>\n

Hutch reached to the bottom of the box and pulled out the flat package wrapped in silver paper with a gold bow. “Should we unwrap it now?” he asked Starsky, feeling a sense of nerves and anticipation start to tingle inside him. “We could wait until Christmas morning, I guess\u2014”<\/p>\n

“No, I don’t think we can, partner. I think your parents want us to open this right now.”<\/p>\n

Hutch nodded and pulled the paper off. He took one look at the photograph and drew in a huge gulp of air. “Wow.”<\/p>\n

“Let me see,” Starsky said. “Wow.”<\/p>\n

“It’s us. It’s us on one of those twilights we watched the sun set and reflect off the water. We did that a few nights, and I never saw my dad, did you?”<\/p>\n

Starsky was staring intently at the picture. Of the two of them, backs to the camera, arms around each other’s waists, with their heads pressed closely together. The camera had caught the beauty of the pink and gold twilight and the love that somehow emanated throughout.<\/p>\n

“This is a pretty amazing picture, babe,” Starsky said thickly. “Pretty amazing, and I don’t think there’s any doubt about how talented your dad is.”<\/p>\n

Hutch nodded. “No, no doubt at all. No doubts about anything, now.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Click on the image to view it larger.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keep pushing, keep pushing, Hutch encouraged himself. Venice Place is almost in sight, and all you have to do is focus on your breathing and this damned mile will be over. Hutch steadied his pace, trying to time his breaths to his footsteps and maintain focus, but thoughts of Starsky crept in anyway. I wonder … Continue reading “December 13th: The Sixth Box by Keri T.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,15,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-sfw","category-slash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=368"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":594,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions\/594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2023\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}