Christmas morning was spent in the hospital, but Matthew couldn't have been happier. He was with Lars, still recovering from the day before. That was more than he could ask for. That morning, Matthew brought all of the gifts into Lars' room, setting them on his bed carefully. Of course, he brought the painting Lars had been working on. To Matthew's surprise, Lars told him he had actually completed it, but never did tell him. It sat on the corner of the bed, a small blanket draped over it to prevent being seen by Matthew.

Matthew and Lars decided silently amongst themselves to not mention Lars' past. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it more than he had to, and that was more than enough of an excuse to never mention it at all.

The pain in Lars' sides and head faded when Matthew smiled. He had waited so long for Christmas together. Unable to wait any longer, Matthew ushered Lars a gift, wrapped neatly and with care. "You open the first gift," Matthew told him, eager eyes watching him.

Lars almost felt ashamed to open it. The florescent red wrapping paper shimmered in the light; a few sparkles from the radiant bow had shed onto the rest of the gift. "Uh, alright," he said, picking at the tape holding it together.

Matthew giggled. "Oh, come on, rip it apart!" He playfully shoved Lars' shoulder. "Go crazy!"

Lars huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I got it." Taking his advice, he tore away the wrapping paper. He pulled away the paper to reveal a box. Lars flipped open the top and peered inside. His green eyes brightened. "Matt…thank you…" There were nearly forty tubes of acrylic paint inside the box, enough to last Lars quite a while. They were an expensive brand, much more efficient than the paints Lars used to buy, which were very cheap and not as vibrant as these. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Can I see my painting now?" Matthew asked eagerly, only to have Lars shake his head.

"Not yet," he told Matthew. "That will be the last one."

"Why…?!" he whined, pouting. "Nm. No fair. Hurry up and open everything else then!"

Lars chuckled, reaching for another gift. "Alright, alright." He flinched and leaned back in the bed again, holding his side. Despite the happy air in the room, it didn't mask Lars' pain.

Matthew placed his hands gently on Lars' chest. "N-No, just relax," he said, smiling softly. "I'll hand them to you, alright?"

Over the next few minutes, Lars was gifted with many material items, all chosen with consideration and love. Paper and bows littered his bed, along with new art supplies and simple little knick-knacks.

"Now can I see the painting?" Matthew asked, the anxiety gnawing at his head.

"Oh, alright," Lars said, shooing Matthew off towards the canvas, still concealed behind the blanket. "Go ahead."

Out of pure bliss, Matthew clapped his hands together and dashed to the painting. He carefully picked it up and set it on the bed. He seated himself beside Lars, fingers pinched over the cloth and ready to finally expose the painting. Matthew turned to Lars, who gave a ready nod.

The fabric launched from the canvas and fell to the ground. Not receiving a remark or comment, Lars asked, "Well…what do you think?"

Matthew held the painting to his chest, hugging it gently. He could just see the compassion and hard work that was put into the painting. Every minor detail was captured with such perfection. Each strand of hair could be seen. It was such an adorable profile of him, the lighting seeming to make a halo around his head. It was beautiful. Flawless. Lars' talent exceeded anything Matthew had ever witnessed before. "It's perfect," he whispered, his vibrant purple eyes beginning to leak. "…Thank you…I love it. Love, love, love it."

Lars smiled at this. "I'm glad."

Matthew leaned back and pressed his hand against Lars' cheek, pressing his lips against his. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Matt. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

***AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It is with great sorrow that I say that this will be the last chapter…I'm sorry everyone, but I have a lot on my plate right now, and I just don't want to keep everyone waiting for the newest chapter when I don't know if I'll get the time to write it. When the time comes, I might write a sequel to this story. But for now, I have to end this here. I'm really sorry, but I'd rather end it here and let you know instead of leaving it without telling my readers.

Thanks again for reading, and keep an eye out for more stories in the future! :3 ***