Christmas with The Nixons 1 (Generator Rex, Noex)

I knew I should have known better than to expect the holiday to go smoothly when I invited Rex to stay over for Christmas. I wanted to celebrate the holiday with Rex and since I know he had never had a family Christmas that he can remember, I wanted everything to go perfect for my best friend and growing crush. I have tried getting him involved in the festive activities all month; pulling the fake tree out of storage in the garage and trimming it, the mad rush to get the perfect gift before the sales return to regular prices or they run out of stock, not to mention the baking of many holiday theme cookies. But Rex had turned me down each time often using the excuse of having a lot of work to do, to the point where I gave up trying to get him involved. Until I thought of the one way he couldn't get out of it and in a few words I played my trump card and told him it was my mother who was inviting him over. Rex had a soft spot for my mother. Ever since she allowed him to stay here while Providence HQ was being rebuilt he had gone out of his way to make sure he was on his best behavior when she was around. So under the guise of mother's orders I had finally persuaded Rex to spend some time together, but I had a plan, a scheme really, to make this holiday the best ever for him, and for me.

It wasn't as if the scheme was to confess to him how I felt; it wasn't as cliché as that, but it would involve admitting something that I have kept hidden from him for a while now.

It happened Christmas Eve-Eve (otherwise known as December 23rd.)

Everyone was settling down for dinner when the doorbell chimed throughout the house. I gave my mother a knowing look and taking the queue she politely asked Rex to go see who it is. Jumping at the chance to impress my mom Rex did so with me trailing after him, hoping for a Christmas miracle as he reached out for the door handle. I could practically see the holiday cheer draining out of him as Rex opened the door and realized who it is standing at the threshold.

"Good evening, mijo," Doctor Caesar Salazar greeted his younger brother with a wide smile.

"What are you doing here?" Rex responded and moved the door as if he meant it close it. I walked up behind him and placed my hand on the door to keep him from slamming it in his estranged brother's face.

Caesar looked at the both of us, taken aback by Rex's question. "Is it okay that I'm here?" Caesar asked seeming to understand the sensitivity of the situation.

"I don't know. You're not here on my invitation," Rex shot back rudely.

It wasn't going at all how I had envisioned the meeting to go, and worse I didn't know how to get things back onto track.

"I invited him." I claimed coming to stand in between the brothers.

Rex turned on me and pointed his thumb behind him at the older Salazar. "I don't know why. I don't know him and it's clear that he doesn't know me, at all. All he knows is his kid brother who disappeared six years ago."

"And whose fault is that?" I snapped. I didn't mean to, but since I had I wasn't going to back down until I had my say. I was tired of the sibling feud and I was certain the brothers were as well. "How is he supposed to get to know you, if you never give him the chance? You shouldn't be surprised that he expects to see the Rex he knew when you won't like him get close enough to update the info?"

Having no answer Rex huffed at me and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Thank you, Mr. Nixon. That was well said."

At the sound of his voice I rounded on him. "And you, sir." I said stabbing his jacket in the center of his chest with my finger. "You haven't been all that pleasant either. You are so wrapped up on who your baby brother used to be you've completely failed to see who he has become. It's like you've forgotten he doesn't remember you. So the mannerisms and the inside jokes, all his hopes and dreams, all his favorite things, all the moments you shared are gone for him. You have got to realize that and stop trying to relive that time by treating him the same way. It's not going to work. You two are brothers. It's about time you acted like it." Suddenly feeling light headed after the rant I took a deep breath and held it for a moment.

Rex and Caesar look from me to each other before bowing their heads in shame. Being fully chastised they seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. I hoped it meant they were going to be on their best behavior and at least try to get along. Who knows, they might actually learn something about each other.

"So what now?" Rex asked.

"How about we close the door? You're letting all the heat out." My mother announced. We all turned to see her standing in the living room. Rex wasted no time in obeying my mother's suggestion. "And now, we eat!" The motherly smile on her face was teasing and the look of kindness and pride in her eyes told me she had heard the whole conversation and agreed with the way I had handled it.

I felt the heat of a blush creep over my face. I hadn't meant to chide the Salazar brothers like that and certainly not with my mother watching, but things happen and I was just going to have to live with the results. Plus, it was nice to know I had an ally when I hadn't expected one. I plastered on a smile and nodded. "That's sounds great. The perfect start to the holidays." I gestured to Caesar. "Mom, may I introduce Rex's older brother, Doctor Caesar Salazar." I gestured from him to my mother. "Caesar, this is my mother, Nora Nixon." It always sounded weird saying my mother's first name, but that what manners dictate, so that's what I said.

With a warm welcoming smile my mother wiped her hands dry with her apron before extending one for Caesar. "Hello, Doctor Salazar. Welcome to our home."

To my great surprise and mild annoyance there is a blush over Caesar's cheeks as he shook my mother's hand. "Th-thank you for having me. And please, call me Caesar."

The sway my mother had over the Salazar men both amused me and made me incredibly jealous. They were like putty in her hands eager to take the shape of her every whim. If I could wield just an ounce of her charm Rex would already be on bended knee asking me to marry him.

I snorted at the image and followed my mother into the dining room.

My dad was putting the finishing touches on the table settings when we walked in. After a quick introduction between him and Caesar mother wrangled us all to our seats. My dad sat at the head of the table with my mother on his right followed by the guest of honor, which in this case was Caesar, with me and Rex on the opposite side.

We all bowed our heads and closed our eyes my father said grace. "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty." He paused for a moment before adding. "And now a moment a silence for those who are no longer with us in body, but will always be here in spirit."

My eyes flew open and I inhaled sharply in surprise as an image of my grandmother sprang to mind. I held my breath to keep the emotions at bay at the thought of my nana. It wasn't until that moment I realized how much I still missed her. It was the first Christmas without her, and knowing I wasn't going to see her loving smile or smell the sweetly spicy scent of ginger that hung on her when she baked gingerbread men was harder to come to grips to. Most of all I missed her because I was sure she would have understood what I was going through with my unconventional feelings towards Rex. She wouldn't have judged me but offered advice on what I should do next. But she was gone, she was really gone and I was never going to see her again but for memories and photographs, both poor imitations of the real thing.

I stiffened when I felt something touch my clenched hands under the table, but then relaxed when I saw it was Rex's gloved hand. I looked up into his face and found him staring at me, sad understanding in his eyes and I added Rex's parents to the list of those I mourned the loss of. I may not have known them, but they brought the most amazing person I knew into the world when they gave life to Rex, and I was grateful to them. Even if nothing romantic happened between Rex and me, his parents will (would) always be considered a part of my family. And the same goes (went) for Caesar.

I gave Rex's fingers a small squeeze in gratitude. He repeated the gesture before removing it once grace was over. I almost reached out and grabbed him back. I was reluctant to let him go and missed the comforting contact he gave me. It was the same way when he had been there for me at the funeral. It was no mystery how I had come to feel something for him. He was a great person who was always there when I needed him the most. A wave of affection came over me and I tore my gaze away from him before he could see the love in them.

Banishing all feelings but the ones of hunger I busied myself with piling my plate with roasted cheddar broccoli and mashed sweet potatoes and grilled chicken thighs which had been marinated in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and orange juice all night. No one spoke for several moments as we dug into the food.

"You did a wonderful job with the marinade, Noah. The chicken came out perfect. I'm going to start putting you in charge of the cooking from now on." My mother noted with a smile.

"You're mom's right, Noe. This is really good," Rex agreed stuffing his face with the chicken.

"Thanks," I said to my fork as I spared a broccoli floret, pleased to be praised by my crush. "It's no big deal. It was easy to do."

"However you made it, it's delicious. I feel like I could eat it every day."

I looked across the table at Caesar's unexpected compliment and felt myself redden at his words. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I haven't had a home-cooked meal in a long time, so this is a real treat."

A twinge of sympathy went through me. I had eaten at Providence Cafeteria before and while it wasn't all bad I was glad I didn't have to live of that stuff.

"Well I guess that means we must have you over more," my father mused.

"I would like that, Horace," Caesar agreed throwing him a smile.

I glanced over at Rex as I felt him silently fume. I thought about kicking him under the table but worried he would think Caesar had done it and provoke him from declaring war at his brother. I decided to replay Rex in the same manner he had calmed me and put my hand on his knee in an attempt to quiet his nerves but it backfired as his leg skyrocketed into the table at my touch.

"Ow!" we both shouted in unison as the table jutted forward.

"Oh goodness," my mother exclaimed.

Once things settled down the meal progressed any other social dinner. My parents were pros at small talk. My mother being a retired model was used to chatting with people of varying backgrounds and interest. And my father being a high school science teacher was always a question away from launching off on a discussion about the newest discovery in one topic or another. They were masters able to balance on the tightrope of friendly and formed when they spoke to Caesar, as if he were a distant relative popping over for a get together instead of a first meeting with a relative stranger.

While my parents charmed and entertained Caesar I decided to try and take Rex's temperature, to see if he had recovered from the arrival of our surprise guest. I leaned to the side, catching his attention. "How's your knee?" I asked just before he took his last bite of chocolate cheesecake.

He lowered his fork to answer. "Fine. How's your hand?"

"Fine," I repeated and held up my hand to illustrate my point but Rex hissed at the reddened skin around my wrist where it had smashed against the table. "Oh, wow. Would you look at that? It doesn't even hurt-ow!" I made the mistake of touching the skin and a dull jolt of pain shot through my wrist.

Rex reached out and gently took my hand into his. He ran his thumb over the back of it as he examined it closely; seemingly unaware he was doing it while I was having a hard time understanding the words coming out of his mouth. "Well nothing appears to be broken or swollen. My guess it's just a little sore, maybe a bruise."

"Thank you, Doctor Salazar." I meant to say it teasingly but the look he gave me told me he had taking it to mean I was talking about Caesar.

"Welcome," he replied. With a frown he gingerly let me go and returned to his plate and didn't speak for the rest of the meal.

Sensing something was up my mother ordered Rex and I clear the table. Rex got up without complaint and stacked up his dishes and took them to into the kitchen counter.

My mother handed me hers and dad's plates and gave me a sympathetic look as I followed Rex into the kitchen. I wasn't sure what her plan was in putting us in a room alone together but I was going to make the most of it and try to get Rex to open up to me.

I knew I should say something to him but the vibe I was getting off him was to leave him be as he tried to figure something out. Besides, I didn't know what to say to him anyway. We worked in silence.

Because we have spent so much time together we have developed a way to communicate that didn't require us to always speak to each other. It came in handy on those rare occasions I got to go with him on missions where Rex usually ended up having to fight.

It was paramount to be aware of where Rex was during a fight and could tell what he was planning to do next writ on his face as he wielded his large builds, else someone could lose an eye or a limb. I knew firsthand how unpleasant being on the receiving end of Rex's powerful builds though only during training sessions when he wasn't even using his full strength.

As it happened that awareness had transferred over to our personal lives as we stood side by side after an awkward dinner which lead to an awkward clean up. We didn't need to speak until I attempted to wash the dishes. Rex absolutely refused to let me do anything with my wrist being the way it was and it took the best impression of my mother's stare I could conjure to wear him down enough to agree to at least let me dry and store the dishes in their proper place in the cupboards, and even then I had to promise I would only use my right hand. We had built up a rhythm and it seemed the routine busy work was helping Rex to relax again. I watched him out of the corner of my eye wondering when would be the best time to break the silence.

He finished washing them before I could dry and without saying a word Rex opened the third drawer down and take out another dish towel and begin to help me dry.

"You certainly know your way around here, mijo. Do you visit a lot?"

My back stiffened as Caesar walked in and set his empty plate down. I fully expected Rex to bite at the opportunity to yell at his older sibling. I was glad I was wrong when he chuckled. Relieved even.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Rex looked at me. His smile made my chest fill up with warmth.

"He lived here full time for a while after Providence was attacked and the building wasn't safe to be in," I supplied lamely.

Caesar seemed to realize I was in the room for the first time. "Oh, I think I remember reading about that in the files, though it didn't say where you stayed during construction."

I closed pressed my lips together and prayed I hadn't just made a huge mistake letting Caesar know where Rex liked to hang out. "Don't worry; he hasn't been around in a while. Providence is his home. My house is like a pit-stop or something," I added hoping to do some damage control for my earlier blunder.

"You shouldn't say mean things about your home," Caesar commented looking at the family photos tacked on the refrigerator door. There was a wistful look on his face that made me feel ashamed of my dismissive words.

"Yeah, it's more than a pit-stop." Rex agreed staring at me. "I really like it here. It sucks when I have to leave," he admitted, he eyes going wide as if he realized something important. There was a light blush coloring his cheeks as he looked away. Despite knowing better I couldn't stop myself from hoping he had confessed how difficult it was to leave me. It was weak and petty and immature and I wanted it to be true so badly it hurt. Being in love sucks.

"I wouldn't want to leave either if I got to eat like this every night," Caesar said with a laugh.

We both laughed along with him and the tension in the room lessened a bit. Caesar asked if he could help but Rex told him he and I had everything under control. Caesar excused himself and rejoined my parents who had moved into the living room.

"Thank you," Rex said. He didn't look at him as he said it, just continued to scrub the stubborn bits of food off a fork.

"For what?" I asked.

"For inviting him," he continued. "I sorta went crazy before. Sorry about that. It's not your fault that our relationship is so messed up. I know you were just trying to help and so, thanks, Noe."

I smiled at him. "Have you gone and matured on me, Peter?" I asked unable to stop myself from teasing him.

"If I have it's your fault, Wendy," Rex replied with a chuckle, catching onto my game.

To hear him laughing so freely again was music to my ears. It seemed he had gotten whatever he was holding in off his chest and was slowly pulling himself out the sour mood he had fallen into when Caesar showed up. I smiled at him.

"It's so good to see you boys getting along again."

We turned to see my dad standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Yep!" I agreed with him.

"Sorry for being a spoiled brat, Horace," Rex apologized.

Dad waved Rex's words away. "Friends fight. And nothing brings out the fighting spirit of folk like the holidays and that goes double for family."

"You can say that again," Rex said with a laugh.

"Come on, you're done in here."

"But-"

"Don't worry about the rest. It won't be the end of the world if we let them air dry. Go enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, dad."

"Merry Christmas," my dad replied patting us on the back.

As we moved into the living room Rex and I giggled over being let loose before our work was done. When we entered the living room I saw that Mom and Caesar sitting on the couch watching a black and white movie on TV. It wasn't until I heard the all too familiar cadence of James Stewart shouting throughout the streets that I realized it was the holiday classic It's A Wonderful Life.

"I know you don't remember hermano but we used to watch this every year with mom and dad."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you'd sit on my lap when the angel showed up."

"Why would I do that?"

Caesar smiled fondly. "You were scared by him. You never said why though. And I don't suppose I'll ever know now." He added wistfully.

"Oh I don't know about that," Rex started. "Maybe we could watch it again sometime. You never know something might come back to me."

"I'd like that."

"Cool."

I must have said something at the display of sibling affection since both Caesar and Rex looked at me after making plans to willingly spend time together watch a movie. It was more than I could have asked for.

"You okay, Noah?" Caesar asked.

"You're not going to cry are you?" Rex asked with a grimace.

"No, you jerk. Can't I be glad that you two are finally getting along?"

"Not if it's gonna make you cry," Rex answered but I knew he was just a pleased as I was by the turn of events.

The night wrapped up pretty smoothly after that. The movie ended and everyone bide goodnight to Caesar who gave everyone a hug bear hug much to their surprise. Mom and Dad remained in the living room watching the evening news while Rex and I went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed.

"Well that was one hell of a night. Was that what you were going for, Noe?"

"I can't say things went exactly according to plan, but out of all the things that did happen I'd agree that it was a success of sorts."

It was definitely memorable." Rex added climbing into the futon on the floor. "Just promise me if you ever get the idea of inviting Van Kleiss over to patch things up you'd let me know first?"

I laughed. "Don't worry about that, Rex. I don't think Van Kleiss would accept my invitation anyway."

Rex yawned, making Noah yawn too. "Good, he'd probably eat all the cheesecake anyway."

"Since you put it that way Van Kleiss is banned from setting foot in this house."

"Sounds good to me," he agreed sleepily.

The room grew quiet. I was too tired to freak out over having my crush in my room and was privately thankful for having such a long and busy day. I could feel myself drifting to sleep when Rex's voice cut through the darkness.

"Hey, Noe?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it's too late to shop of gifts?"

"Tonight? No." I answered playfully.

"And tomorrow?" he asked. I could hear the hope and worry in his voice and I couldn't stop myself from giving him a hard time. After all, it's what best friends do.

"Eh, I donno. It's the twenty-fourth. That's cutting it pretty close, dude."

"Please?"

"I guess I could, if…"

"If?"

"If you shave your head."

"What? No, I'm not doing that."

I chuckled as he took the bait. "Alright fine. We'll go after breakfast. Just make sure you get me something good."

"Thanks, Noe. You're the best."

"I know. Now, go to sleep."

"Yes, sir."