Fic: (Brotherhood II, Harlan/Marcus, PG)
Today's offering combines one of my favorite pairings with one of my favorite Christmas songs. The two are otherwise unrelated, but that's okay. Maybe anyone who might be interested already has the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, but just in case you don't, today I give you a non-traditional Christmas song from that album. For my fic offering I give you Harlan/Marcus and a little Christmas cheer.
ETA: This is part of my Aftermath universe, so it'll make more sense if you've read that. I should have mentioned that when I posted, but it was really early in the morning and I hadn't had any caffeine.
~
Marcus' new game wasn't about demons. That theme was pretty played out, at least according to him, and Harlan wasn’t inclined to argue. Marcus was the creative one, after all, and he was the one who’d come up with two best-selling storylines so far. So when he said his new game was about a ring, but that it wasn’t a lame rip-off of Tolkien, Harlan just nodded and acted like he had a clue what Marcus was talking about.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested; he was plenty interested in Marcus’ profit margin, and he was interested in whether or not Marcus was happy with whatever project he happened to be working on. He didn’t play the games or anything, but he did read the press releases before they went out, and he looked at the stills.
So he knew what the ring looked like, and he had to admit the jeweler did a pretty good job recreating it. It was a lot more ornate than Harlan would go for, lots of engraving and weird symbols that probably didn’t mean anything to anyone except Marcus. There was some kind of leaf pattern around the whole thing, and inside there was an inscription that Harlan assumed was supposed to be magical. At least that’s what Marcus’ storyboard implied.
Not that it mattered whether the inscription meant anything, or even if Harlan understood it. What mattered was that it looked exactly like the ring in the game, and Marcus was going to love it.
Harlan pocketed the small velvet box when he heard footsteps behind him, turning in time to watch Marcus emerge from the kitchen with two cups of coffee and a folded paper under one arm.
“Merry Christmas,” Marcus said as he handed Harlan a cup of coffee, leaning in for a quick kiss before he sat down and set his own cup on the coffee table. They’d both decided on a low-key Christmas this year, just the two of them without any distractions. Harlan had suggested they go somewhere like Vail or even Geneva, though the location didn't matter so much as the 'away from Marcus’ computer' part. But Marcus had promised he wouldn’t spend the whole holiday working, and so far he’d kept his word. Granted, it wasn’t that hard to keep his promise when Harlan had barely let him out of bed on Christmas Eve.
That sounded like a pretty good plan for today, too, but first they had a little business to take care of. Harlan waited until Marcus got settled on the couch and rifled through the paper for the technology section, bare feet propped up on the coffee table. And he wasn’t nervous, because he knew Marcus and he knew this was the perfect gift. But it was their first Christmas since Marcus moved in - their first Christmas together, technically - and he wanted to get everything right.
Their place looked perfect, thanks to a call to the same decorator who did the office every Christmas. It was the first year Harlan had bothered, but now he was glad he had. Marcus had laughed at him for being sentimental, but after the tree was up and the mantle was decorated, even he had to admit it was worth it. It looked good, anyway, and it was a lot easier to keep Marcus distracted from work when there were decorations around to remind him what time of year it was.
Finally Marcus put down the technology section, but when he reached for the rest of the paper Harlan stopped him. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the box again, hesitating for just a second before he dropped it in Marcus’ lap. “Got you something.”
“You got me jewelry?”
“Just open it.”
Marcus grinned and opened the box, but when he saw the ring his smile faded. He looked up at Harlan, eyes wide with what Harlan hoped was surprise. “What…how’d you do this?”
“I took some of the promo stills to a jeweler. Figured you’d be the hit of the next geek convention once your game hits the shelves.”
That got him another grin, but he only had a second to enjoy it before Marcus was looking at the ring again. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s exactly like I pictured it.”
“Well are you gonna try it on, or are you just gonna stare at it?” Harlan asked.
Marcus laughed sort of nervously and pulled it out of the box, holding it with two fingers like he was afraid maybe it would break if he touched it. “Jesus, you even got them to do the inscription,” he said, turning the ring over a couple times before he finally slid it onto his ring finger.
It fit perfectly, and Harlan had to give the jeweler credit, because he’d been guessing on Marcus’ ring size. And Marcus was still staring at it, but Harlan didn’t mind so much now that he knew that it fit. He reached out and caught Marcus’ hand in his, lifting the ring to eye level so he could see how it looked close up. “Looks good on you.”
“Yeah, I…hey, when’d you get this?” Marcus asked, noticing for the first time that Harlan was wearing a ring too. His was just a plain gold band, but it was the same color as the gold they’d used to make Marcus’ ring, and when they were next to each other they looked like a set.
“When I picked up yours,” Harlan answered. “I figured if you’re going to wear a ring, we both should.”
It took a second for Marcus to get what he was saying. Harlan wasn't sure he would get it, but then Marcus' grip tightened and he pulled Harlan closer. "Aren't we supposed to go through some kind of ceremony if we're going to exchange rings?"
Harlan shrugged, looking down at their still-entwined fingers before he answered. "You planning to bail on me any time in the next sixty years?"
"No."
"Me either. That's all we really need to know, right?" Harlan said. What he didn't say was that he'd go through with the ceremony if Marcus really wanted one, that he'd stand up in front of anyone who cared and tell them he was planning to stick with Marcus for the long haul. But they both knew how they felt, and he didn't see how it was anybody else's business.
"You're right," Marcus answered. He leaned in and kissed Harlan, long and slow this time and when he pulled away Harlan couldn't remember what they'd been talking about. "Thanks for my ring."
"It's Christmas, I had to get you something," Harlan said, grabbing the front of Marcus' shirt and swallowing his indignant reply with another kiss.
~
And the song of the day, from A Charlie Brown Christmas:
Vince Guaraldi Trio -- Christmas Time Is Here
ETA: This is part of my Aftermath universe, so it'll make more sense if you've read that. I should have mentioned that when I posted, but it was really early in the morning and I hadn't had any caffeine.
~
Marcus' new game wasn't about demons. That theme was pretty played out, at least according to him, and Harlan wasn’t inclined to argue. Marcus was the creative one, after all, and he was the one who’d come up with two best-selling storylines so far. So when he said his new game was about a ring, but that it wasn’t a lame rip-off of Tolkien, Harlan just nodded and acted like he had a clue what Marcus was talking about.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested; he was plenty interested in Marcus’ profit margin, and he was interested in whether or not Marcus was happy with whatever project he happened to be working on. He didn’t play the games or anything, but he did read the press releases before they went out, and he looked at the stills.
So he knew what the ring looked like, and he had to admit the jeweler did a pretty good job recreating it. It was a lot more ornate than Harlan would go for, lots of engraving and weird symbols that probably didn’t mean anything to anyone except Marcus. There was some kind of leaf pattern around the whole thing, and inside there was an inscription that Harlan assumed was supposed to be magical. At least that’s what Marcus’ storyboard implied.
Not that it mattered whether the inscription meant anything, or even if Harlan understood it. What mattered was that it looked exactly like the ring in the game, and Marcus was going to love it.
Harlan pocketed the small velvet box when he heard footsteps behind him, turning in time to watch Marcus emerge from the kitchen with two cups of coffee and a folded paper under one arm.
“Merry Christmas,” Marcus said as he handed Harlan a cup of coffee, leaning in for a quick kiss before he sat down and set his own cup on the coffee table. They’d both decided on a low-key Christmas this year, just the two of them without any distractions. Harlan had suggested they go somewhere like Vail or even Geneva, though the location didn't matter so much as the 'away from Marcus’ computer' part. But Marcus had promised he wouldn’t spend the whole holiday working, and so far he’d kept his word. Granted, it wasn’t that hard to keep his promise when Harlan had barely let him out of bed on Christmas Eve.
That sounded like a pretty good plan for today, too, but first they had a little business to take care of. Harlan waited until Marcus got settled on the couch and rifled through the paper for the technology section, bare feet propped up on the coffee table. And he wasn’t nervous, because he knew Marcus and he knew this was the perfect gift. But it was their first Christmas since Marcus moved in - their first Christmas together, technically - and he wanted to get everything right.
Their place looked perfect, thanks to a call to the same decorator who did the office every Christmas. It was the first year Harlan had bothered, but now he was glad he had. Marcus had laughed at him for being sentimental, but after the tree was up and the mantle was decorated, even he had to admit it was worth it. It looked good, anyway, and it was a lot easier to keep Marcus distracted from work when there were decorations around to remind him what time of year it was.
Finally Marcus put down the technology section, but when he reached for the rest of the paper Harlan stopped him. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the box again, hesitating for just a second before he dropped it in Marcus’ lap. “Got you something.”
“You got me jewelry?”
“Just open it.”
Marcus grinned and opened the box, but when he saw the ring his smile faded. He looked up at Harlan, eyes wide with what Harlan hoped was surprise. “What…how’d you do this?”
“I took some of the promo stills to a jeweler. Figured you’d be the hit of the next geek convention once your game hits the shelves.”
That got him another grin, but he only had a second to enjoy it before Marcus was looking at the ring again. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s exactly like I pictured it.”
“Well are you gonna try it on, or are you just gonna stare at it?” Harlan asked.
Marcus laughed sort of nervously and pulled it out of the box, holding it with two fingers like he was afraid maybe it would break if he touched it. “Jesus, you even got them to do the inscription,” he said, turning the ring over a couple times before he finally slid it onto his ring finger.
It fit perfectly, and Harlan had to give the jeweler credit, because he’d been guessing on Marcus’ ring size. And Marcus was still staring at it, but Harlan didn’t mind so much now that he knew that it fit. He reached out and caught Marcus’ hand in his, lifting the ring to eye level so he could see how it looked close up. “Looks good on you.”
“Yeah, I…hey, when’d you get this?” Marcus asked, noticing for the first time that Harlan was wearing a ring too. His was just a plain gold band, but it was the same color as the gold they’d used to make Marcus’ ring, and when they were next to each other they looked like a set.
“When I picked up yours,” Harlan answered. “I figured if you’re going to wear a ring, we both should.”
It took a second for Marcus to get what he was saying. Harlan wasn't sure he would get it, but then Marcus' grip tightened and he pulled Harlan closer. "Aren't we supposed to go through some kind of ceremony if we're going to exchange rings?"
Harlan shrugged, looking down at their still-entwined fingers before he answered. "You planning to bail on me any time in the next sixty years?"
"No."
"Me either. That's all we really need to know, right?" Harlan said. What he didn't say was that he'd go through with the ceremony if Marcus really wanted one, that he'd stand up in front of anyone who cared and tell them he was planning to stick with Marcus for the long haul. But they both knew how they felt, and he didn't see how it was anybody else's business.
"You're right," Marcus answered. He leaned in and kissed Harlan, long and slow this time and when he pulled away Harlan couldn't remember what they'd been talking about. "Thanks for my ring."
"It's Christmas, I had to get you something," Harlan said, grabbing the front of Marcus' shirt and swallowing his indignant reply with another kiss.
~
And the song of the day, from A Charlie Brown Christmas:
Vince Guaraldi Trio -- Christmas Time Is Here