just_muse_me | 8.1.3. Charles Dudley Warner quote
8.1.3. “The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.” - Charles Dudley Warner
Co-written with sexyinscrubs
[Follows ALL THIS]
Pat pulled out of the deep kiss and stroked his fingers along Aiden’s cheek. “Do you mind if we have a night off tonight, darling? I’m buggered from the trip. I feel like I could sleep for a week.” He stretched and then settled in against Aiden’s side with his ankle hooked over Aiden’s leg.
“Nope,” Aiden confirmed with a tired smile. “I’m about ready to join you in that quest.” He pressed another kiss to Pat’s lips and relaxed under the covers himself.
Pat’s eyebrows rose with a smirk. “Why Aiden Lewis, did I hear you right? Are you actually going to attempt something as appalling as slowing down? That’s surely an event worthy of a sacrificial ritual with pig’s blood on a full moon, no?”
“Cheeky bastard,” Aiden sniggered and squeezed Pat’s bare hip.
“You still love me,” Pat returned and made a kissy face in Aiden’s direction. “I have something I want to give you,” he revealed and rolled on to his other side to take something from the top draw of the bedside table.
Aiden watched him curiously. “You spoil me, gorgeous.”
Pat rolled back over with a smile and settled on his back. “It’s sentimental more than anything,” he admitted and held his hand up in front of Aiden’s face so he could see without moving. Dangling from his fingers was a thin gold chain with a small pendant; the initial P with three small diamonds down the spine of the letter. “I want you to have this. My parents gave it to me for my sixteenth and I wore it every day right up until I got sick and was in hospital. I haven’t really been able to since because chances are I’d end up losing it when I landed in hospital again. It’s always meant a lot to me. I just wanted to give you something to show how much you mean to me. You don’t have to wear it. Just keep it safe for me.” He smiled and hooked the chain over Aiden’s finger, watching the pendant swing back spin a little from the movement.
Aiden grinned and looked closely at it. No one had ever given him anything remotely as meaningful as this before. The age of it alone told him how important it was to Pat. “This is amazing, love. Thank you.” He caught Pat’s lips in another kiss and then handed it back. “I want to wear it. Put it on for me?”
Pat stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he focused on getting the chain secured around Aiden’s throat. He smiled seeing how well Aiden wore it and then brushed his fingers through Aiden’s hair as they settled into another cosy embrace. “Do you have any plans for Christmas, darling?” he asked. “I meant to ask you before but the holiday distracted me. We’re having a huge family thing in Princeton to make up for what was missed last year. I’d really love if you could come. Harri too. I mean, I say ‘family’, but that’s a catch all for extended family. It would be a shame if we had to have our first Christmas together apart, but if you’re going home or something, it’s completely understandable.”
“I meant to bring it up with you too. And to be honest, even if I did have plans, I’d change them. I’d love to spend Christmas with you, gorgeous. I’ll ask Harri, too.” Aiden smiled contentedly and took Pat’s hand to kiss. “I love you, Pat. You know that, right?”
Pat turned his head and returned the smile. “Always, darling. How could I not know?”
All characters referenced with permission
Word Count | 607
Co-written with sexyinscrubs
[Follows ALL THIS]
Pat pulled out of the deep kiss and stroked his fingers along Aiden’s cheek. “Do you mind if we have a night off tonight, darling? I’m buggered from the trip. I feel like I could sleep for a week.” He stretched and then settled in against Aiden’s side with his ankle hooked over Aiden’s leg.
“Nope,” Aiden confirmed with a tired smile. “I’m about ready to join you in that quest.” He pressed another kiss to Pat’s lips and relaxed under the covers himself.
Pat’s eyebrows rose with a smirk. “Why Aiden Lewis, did I hear you right? Are you actually going to attempt something as appalling as slowing down? That’s surely an event worthy of a sacrificial ritual with pig’s blood on a full moon, no?”
“Cheeky bastard,” Aiden sniggered and squeezed Pat’s bare hip.
“You still love me,” Pat returned and made a kissy face in Aiden’s direction. “I have something I want to give you,” he revealed and rolled on to his other side to take something from the top draw of the bedside table.
Aiden watched him curiously. “You spoil me, gorgeous.”
Pat rolled back over with a smile and settled on his back. “It’s sentimental more than anything,” he admitted and held his hand up in front of Aiden’s face so he could see without moving. Dangling from his fingers was a thin gold chain with a small pendant; the initial P with three small diamonds down the spine of the letter. “I want you to have this. My parents gave it to me for my sixteenth and I wore it every day right up until I got sick and was in hospital. I haven’t really been able to since because chances are I’d end up losing it when I landed in hospital again. It’s always meant a lot to me. I just wanted to give you something to show how much you mean to me. You don’t have to wear it. Just keep it safe for me.” He smiled and hooked the chain over Aiden’s finger, watching the pendant swing back spin a little from the movement.
Aiden grinned and looked closely at it. No one had ever given him anything remotely as meaningful as this before. The age of it alone told him how important it was to Pat. “This is amazing, love. Thank you.” He caught Pat’s lips in another kiss and then handed it back. “I want to wear it. Put it on for me?”
Pat stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he focused on getting the chain secured around Aiden’s throat. He smiled seeing how well Aiden wore it and then brushed his fingers through Aiden’s hair as they settled into another cosy embrace. “Do you have any plans for Christmas, darling?” he asked. “I meant to ask you before but the holiday distracted me. We’re having a huge family thing in Princeton to make up for what was missed last year. I’d really love if you could come. Harri too. I mean, I say ‘family’, but that’s a catch all for extended family. It would be a shame if we had to have our first Christmas together apart, but if you’re going home or something, it’s completely understandable.”
“I meant to bring it up with you too. And to be honest, even if I did have plans, I’d change them. I’d love to spend Christmas with you, gorgeous. I’ll ask Harri, too.” Aiden smiled contentedly and took Pat’s hand to kiss. “I love you, Pat. You know that, right?”
Pat turned his head and returned the smile. “Always, darling. How could I not know?”
All characters referenced with permission
Word Count | 607