Christmas at Britin turned out to be chaotic.

Justin had chased Nick half of the morning, trying to get him to come inside the house and get ready. But it had snowed heavily over the night, and the little boy was having a blast in the spacious backyard.

On top of Nick getting on his nerves, Brian had to throw a tantrum about an undefined stain on the red dress shirt he had planned on wearing.

Justin seized the opportunity to force Brian into the Christmas sweater he had gotten him.

Brian insisted they should wear the rings, and see if anyone noticed before they made the announcement.

By the time the family started arriving, the crisis was under control. The first guests to appear on their doorstep were Emmett and Drew, who had brought Ted and Blake with them.

Justin was grateful for Emmett arriving earlier so they could finish last-minute touches.

Brian took his role as the host seriously, leading the others in the living room and offering them drinks.

Nick sampled some of the food, and Justin allowed him, only because he knew it wasn’t likely to keep Nick seated at the table for long enough to eat properly.

Brian was the one to greet the rest of their guests as they kept coming, while Justin and Emmett plated the finger food in the kitchen. Michael even dared joke about them becoming model Stepford husbands who hosted dinner parties.

The last to arrive were Jennifer with Tucker and Molly. Brian was surprised not to see Molly’s future husband at her arm, but it meant less tension without his ugly mug around. She explained that Hobbs was with his family, since his father had ended up in the hospital the previous day.

Brian led them to the living room where the rest of the family was spread around, chatting casually.

Nick rushed to him, tugging at his pants, making Brian bend to his level. Nick put his hand to Brian's ear. “I had an accident. Daddy will be very mad.”

“Did you pee your pants?” Brian couldn’t imagine anything worse than that.

Nick huffed, slapping Brian's shoulder. “No, that’s gross. I put some of those filled eggs on me.” He tugged at his white shirt, pointing to a yellow spot on his chest. “Think we can clean it?”

“You need another shirt,” Brian explained.

“Daddy will know…”

“You can say you didn’t like it.”

“It’s my favorite shirt, Brian.” Nick pouted, staring desolated at his dirty shirt.

Brian rubbed Nick’s back. “I’m sure Justin won’t be mad because you put food on yourself. Come on, let’s find another shirt.” He picked Nick up, and had managed to climb a couple of stairs when Justin called after them. “Yeah?” Brian turned to look at Justin over his shoulder.

“We’re ready to move to the dining room. Uh…where are you going?”

“We’ll be right there,” Brian promised, continuing up the stairs.

He ended up with another top for himself after Nick’s smudge had transferred to his sweater. When they joined the others downstairs, Nick stuck close to Brian, watching his daddy anxiously.

“Relax,” Brian insisted, pulling Nick on his lap. Brian couldn’t understand why Nick was so distressed, but knowing Justin, he must have been very upset in the past with Nick for dirtying his shirts.

Justin joined them, sitting next to Brian. He handed Nick a glass of orange juice, smiling. He looked at them for a long minute, shaking his head.

“Are you going to change clothes throughout the party? One shirt for greeting guests, one for appetizers, one for main course?” he teased. “You’re a funny pair.”

“That’s not a bad idea now,” Brian said, amused. “See? All good,” he whispered into Nick’s ear, who had relaxed.

“You’ve outdone yourself, Sunshine,” Debbie called from the other end of the table.

“It’s all thanks to Emmett. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to have everything ready in time.” Justin smiled bashfully.

Emmett gasped theatrically. “Of course, everything was ready in time. All my clients are satisfied with my services.”

“I can attest to that,” Drew said, laughing.

“You know what I mean,” Emmett added hastily.

“There’s nothing wrong with a personal touch to please the client,” Brian quipped, making everyone laugh.

“I’m sure you have a lot of experience in that department,” Emmett muttered.

“Years of practice,” Brian confirmed, nodding emphatically.

Justin snatched some of the paper tissues from the table, dabbing his eyes as he laughed harder.

“But I’ve changed my approach…lately,” Brian continued, taking Justin's hand. It made Justin sober up somewhat, and smile widely at Brian. “Some might say I’ve lost my touch.”

“You’ve still got the touch,” Justin said teasingly, leaning closer to Brian and kissing his cheek.

“Young ears,” Jen cried out.

To confirm her that Nick had no clue what they were insinuating, the child hugged both Brian and his daddy around the necks.

Justin met Brian's eyes, and nodded, because it looked like a good moment to break the news.

When they turned to face their guests, they found everyone focused on their own plate or chatting with the person next to them.

Brian got up, placing Nick in his chair, before he pulled Justin up. Their gesture grabbed their guests’ attention.

Justin rubbed Brian's forearm, shifting nervously. Brian peered down at him, grinning.

“I have a strong sense of déjà-vu,” Debbie gasped, leaning back in her chair.

“Uh, we decided to go through with the wedding, after all,” Justin said quietly.

“It’s about time I settle down and embrace a true Stepford husband life,” Brian added, amused.

Justin rolled his eyes, sliding one of his hands down Brian's arm to link their fingers.

Nick sat up on the chair, turning to hug both of them. “You’re the best, Brian!”

Justin laughed, kissing the top of Nick’s head.

“Nick was my biggest supporter in proposing to Justin,” Brian explained. “And I have a surprise for you,” he added, shifting his focus on Nick. “After I marry Justin, I want to adopt you. What do you say?”

Nick gasped, then he started sobbing into Brian's chest.

“Really?” he asked between tears.

“Really,” Brian said softly, hugging the little boy tightly.

“I love you, Brian.”

Brian stroked Nick’s back, repeating his words. He felt Justin leaning into their embrace and kissing his cheek.

“This is so moving,” Emmett exclaimed, teary-eyed. “I’m so happy for you two!”

Justin had to detangle from the hug with Brian and Nick, and accept Emmett throwing his arms around him. “Thank you,” he said in a rough voice.

He hadn’t expected to hear Brian's surprise for Nick. It was probably Nick’s best gift, even though it wasn’t something tangible.

“This time around, you better not chicken out,” Emmett teased.

“No more cold feet,” Justin promised.

“Oh, honey!” His mother came over to hug him tightly. “Who asked who this time?”

Justin laughed, accepting Tucker’s handshake. “I allowed Brian the pleasure…again.” He turned to see Brian and Nick still glued to each other. Nick was staring at Brian with all the love a child could have for a parent, and Justin could feel his eyes filling with tears.

After everyone congratulated them, warning them about getting non-refundable gifts so they better go through with the wedding, they all settled so they could enjoy the meal.

Like Justin had predicted, Nick wasn’t interested in food, but he accepted a slice of salami from Justin's plate.

“I have to ask,” his mother said in his direction. “What sort of air freshener do you have? It’s interesting.”

“It’s not a spray. I discovered this amazing store close to the art supplies store,” he said, excitedly. But before he could explain further, Nick spoke loudly.

“It’s love incest – Daddy’s favorite.”

Justin covered his face with his hands, unsure if he was amused, or he wanted to die of mortification.

Brian chuckled. “Before anyone gets ideas…Nick is trying to say incense. Justin found these boxes with various names and supposed purposes. His favorite is the one which is supposed to smell like love.”

“But this particular one said it should bring good fortune and happiness,” Justin mumbled.

“You had us worried for a moment,” Ted said, grimacing.

“Don’t…please. Nick likes how these smell, too. I was called to school on his last day before break. His teachers were scandalized about Nick telling everyone how I loved incest.” Justin shook his head.

Nick pouted. “I can’t get right the word,” he admitted.

“I know, baby. But the word you found as a good replacement means completely something else,” Justin reminded him.

“We’re working on it,” Brian insisted.

“Don’t worry, Nick. Even adults have trouble spelling out that word correctly. Don’t make me say it,” Emmett said loudly, looking threateningly around the trouble.

“Did the teachers understand?” Jennifer asked, worried.

“Oh, yes.” Justin nodded emphatically. “But they made me promise to make sure he knew the words he used, because I didn’t want to get in trouble with the other parents.”

“Yeah, I can attest that you kids had intriguing conversations in school. I remember one time, you came home and told us one of the other kids’ dad was a rapist,” Jennifer said with a smile. “You were so serious.”

“What,” Justin gasped. “What the hell did I mean by that?”

“Craig was ready to pull you out of the school and have that man arrested. But when we went to school, we found out the poor guy was a therapist. You understood it as two words – the rapist.”

Brian laughed loudly. “Only Justin's overactive brain could misunderstand something like that.”

“Shut up,” Justin mumbled, kicking Brian's leg under the table. “I don’t remember that.”

“It was in your first week of first grade. Once we knew there were no rapists amongst the other students’ parents…it was funny,” Jennifer admitted. “Anyway, are you okay with these things you are burning? I only once got some but I had to get rid of them when your allergies kicked in.”

Justin took a sip from his wine. “Surprisingly, I’ve been fine. I was worried about it, too, at first.”

A while later, when Nick had gone to the bathroom, Justin was sent to keep him away while the guests put their own presents under the tree. Justin wanted to protest, that it would only confuse Nick. He and Brian had let him discover his presents the previous night before bedtime, when Nick had been too eager to check if Santa had come, every ten minutes.

“Why are you here?” Nick asked suspiciously, when he came out of the bathroom and found Justin on his bed.

“Just checking…You having a good time?”

Nick narrowed his eyes at his dad. “Yes. Why didn’t you tell me Brian asked you to marry him?”

“We wanted it to be a surprise.” Justin pulled Nick between his legs, hugging him tightly. “I heard you helped Brian.”

Nick nodded seriously. “I’m so happy, Daddy! Brian actually wants to be my daddy, too.”

“Of course, he does, Nick. He told you this.”

“Well…I thought I upset him with asking what I should call him,” Nick admitted.

“No, you didn’t. Like Brian said, you can keep calling him Brian, if any other word doesn’t sound right for you. We won’t force you to call him daddy.”

“I was thinking…maybe dada.”

Justin blinked through his tears. “Anything you want. Brian doesn’t mind, I want you to remember that.” Justin got up, taking his son’s hand. “Come on, time for dessert.”

“Uh, will you be upset if I don’t come downstairs? I’m tired, Daddy.”

Justin stared at him awe. “Do you want to nap?”

Nick nodded, chewing on his lips.

“Of course, kiddo. Want me to stay with you?”

“No, it’s cool. But are you sure your friends won’t be upset?”

“They won’t,” Justin reassured him.

When he arrived downstairs, the fruit mousse Emmett had made for the occasion was placed in front of everyone at the table.

“I guess Nick decided to nap.”

“You put him to sleep so he won’t see his presents from us,” his mom gasped.

“No, Mom. He willingly decided it was nap time. You’d be surprised how much he loves nap time.” Justin caught Brian's eye, smiling. “Nick is the perfect child.”

“This is really good, Emmett. You must tell me the recipe,” Molly commented.

“I’d love to! Maybe when we meet next week to talk about your reception.” Emmett shook his head. “You, Taylors, love to hurry me.”

“Sorry…we’re pressured by time. Soon, I might not fit in any nice wedding gown,” Molly whined.

“Of course, I’m not really upset.” Emmett turned to Justin and Brian, shaking on finger. “You better not do this to me.”

Brian smiled tightly, rising his fingers in a scouts’ honor sign. “I promise not to knock up Sunshine.”

Justin slapped Brian's arm, grimacing. “Don’t worry. We haven’t set a date. And don’t pester us about when we’ll do it.”

“And you’ll be the first to know the date, Emmett,” Brian added.