Original: "Happy Holidays." Slash
Happy Holidays guys! This takes place in the same 'verse as last week's snuggle (and you'll recognize some of our players :) ). Hope you guys enjoy and have a great round of holidays.
Again for the 1000 Themes, for theme 48. Holiday. Beta'ed by the ever-lovely, ever-patient grimcognito.
Summary: Avry's been a supernatural tattoo artist for years and dealt with all manner of creature. Somehow, he's never been this nervous before.
Avry’s palms were sweating. Altaira’s fading laughter wasn’t helping.
He’d never had a significant other over the holidays before. He definitely had never had one who also knew about what he was. The prospects were more than a little daunting, and his little sister’s words had hardly been reassuring. Just because the past Christmases for the circus had been lackluster didn’t mean that Avry was going to half-ass anything. He wanted this particular year to mean something.
He and Keyne had been dating almost a year now, but he still couldn’t predict with any accuracy how the psychic would react to…well, anything really. He usually felt like he was a step behind Keyne on most things, even if the psychic usually avoided looking at the timelines of anyone in their group.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure whether he really wanted this to remain a surprise or not. Sure, he’d been thinking Christmas carols as loudly as he could in an attempt to throw off whatever it was that Keyne did to read him, but it might honestly be less stressful if Keyne already knew and could just tell him what he thought of it all. Patience wasn’t one of the virtues Avry had ever managed to master outside of his work.
He was just starting to panic that maybe Keyne had seen and run away when the psychic came strolling around the corner of one of the trailers. His cheeks were red and chapped, ridiculous purple beanie pulled low over his eyes and a Technicolor scarf trailing in the wind behind him. He was also grinning from ear to ear as he strode up to Avry, hands escaping his pockets only long enough to wrap around Avry and shove up the back of his shirt.
His fingers were like ice and Avry shied away from them into Keyne’s embrace, huffing out a laugh against his neck. “Ass. How the hell are your hands even that cold?”
Keyne shrugged, drawing his hands out and sliding them into Avry’s back pockets. “Can’t read someone’s palms if you’re wearing gloves. And they clash with my super mystical outfit, anyway. Ruins the whole look, you know.”
“Ah, yes, I see how that might be a problem for you, spiritual fortune teller that you are. And your gloves aren’t on now because…?”
Keyne tried to throw his hands up in frustration but they mostly just stuck in Avry’s pockets. “I forgot them somewhere in my trailer, okay? As my boyfriend, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to warm them up without asking questions. I’m certain it was in the job description.”
With a laugh, Avry backed up a pace, pulling Keyne’s hands from behind himself and holding them up to his face so he could blow warm air across them, cupped between his own mittened hands. “I knew I should have read the fine print,” he teased back, continuing to puff air around a smile.
After a long moment, he realized they were just standing in the middle of the circus grounds, smiling dopily at each other, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, swinging their joined hands between them. “So, I have a…a thing. For you. A surprise thing. Well, a maybe surprise thing.”
Keyne’s chuckle stopped his babbling, and Avry turned wide eyes at him. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s had you so antsy and secretive the past couple of weeks? Not that it wasn’t really cute.” Keyne flashed his dimple and threw in a wink for good measure. “I’m just dying of curiosity, is all.”
Avry tipped his head, brows scrunched together in confusion. “You don’t already know?”
The look Keyne gave him was equal parts confusion and fondness. “I haven’t been able to see your timeline since the first time I told you I loved you.” He let out a soft laugh at the look of dawning realization on Avry’s face. “You are now too much a part of me to be able to see into your future. I have no idea what your surprise is.”
He stumbled back a few paces as Avry launched at him, obviously not prepared for the sudden onslaught of kisses. He didn’t seem to mind though, once he caught up, and Avry’s cheeks were flushed and his lips tingling before he finally pulled back, a delighted grin nearly splitting his face. “So I have a definite surprise for you. I think you’ll like it. I hope you’ll like it?”
Keyne grabbed one of his hands, dragging him close for another kiss. “It’s a surprise from you; I’m sure I’ll like it.”
Avry bounced in place, face suddenly alight, before starting to drag Keyne in the direction of the big top. He stopped them just outside, nearly vibrating with anticipation now that the moment of reveal was finally here. “Okay, close your eyes.”
Keyne shot him an unimpressed look, but Avry just stood there, patiently bouncing where he was, until Keyne gave in and closed his eyes. Avry took his hands, leading him carefully through the flap, grinning at their friends already gathered there. He waited until he was sure everyone was ready before taking a step back, dropping Keyne’s hands so he could crouch and activate the last sigil he’d drawn out earlier that afternoon.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
Keyne’s mouth dropped open, just the littlest bit, eyes wide with wonderment as he looked around the tent. The circus was in some desert town, cold enough for frost to form at night but not wet enough for snow, so Avry had turned the inside of the big top into their own winter wonderland. Altaira had strung lights from the tightrope, Quin helping to drape them between their high platforms. He could see Mackenzey holding court around a bonfire already, the other ring performers gathered around with mugs of hot chocolate.
Keyne was staring up at the ceiling, blinking away the snowflakes that Avry had enchanted to blanket the whole scene in glistening white. “You were sad the circus never got to see a white Christmas,” Avry murmured, coming to stand in front of Keyne. “I thought I could help out. Do you like it?” he asked hopefully, gnawing on his lower lip.
The twinkle of lights reflected in Keyne’s eyes as his gaze dropped from the snowfall. “Av, it’s perfect,” he breathed out, stepping closer so he could pull Avry into an embrace, head tucked into his shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured into the quiet between them.
Avry hugged him just a little bit tighter. “Merry Christmas, Keyne.”
Again for the 1000 Themes, for theme 48. Holiday. Beta'ed by the ever-lovely, ever-patient grimcognito.
Summary: Avry's been a supernatural tattoo artist for years and dealt with all manner of creature. Somehow, he's never been this nervous before.
Avry’s palms were sweating. Altaira’s fading laughter wasn’t helping.
He’d never had a significant other over the holidays before. He definitely had never had one who also knew about what he was. The prospects were more than a little daunting, and his little sister’s words had hardly been reassuring. Just because the past Christmases for the circus had been lackluster didn’t mean that Avry was going to half-ass anything. He wanted this particular year to mean something.
He and Keyne had been dating almost a year now, but he still couldn’t predict with any accuracy how the psychic would react to…well, anything really. He usually felt like he was a step behind Keyne on most things, even if the psychic usually avoided looking at the timelines of anyone in their group.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure whether he really wanted this to remain a surprise or not. Sure, he’d been thinking Christmas carols as loudly as he could in an attempt to throw off whatever it was that Keyne did to read him, but it might honestly be less stressful if Keyne already knew and could just tell him what he thought of it all. Patience wasn’t one of the virtues Avry had ever managed to master outside of his work.
He was just starting to panic that maybe Keyne had seen and run away when the psychic came strolling around the corner of one of the trailers. His cheeks were red and chapped, ridiculous purple beanie pulled low over his eyes and a Technicolor scarf trailing in the wind behind him. He was also grinning from ear to ear as he strode up to Avry, hands escaping his pockets only long enough to wrap around Avry and shove up the back of his shirt.
His fingers were like ice and Avry shied away from them into Keyne’s embrace, huffing out a laugh against his neck. “Ass. How the hell are your hands even that cold?”
Keyne shrugged, drawing his hands out and sliding them into Avry’s back pockets. “Can’t read someone’s palms if you’re wearing gloves. And they clash with my super mystical outfit, anyway. Ruins the whole look, you know.”
“Ah, yes, I see how that might be a problem for you, spiritual fortune teller that you are. And your gloves aren’t on now because…?”
Keyne tried to throw his hands up in frustration but they mostly just stuck in Avry’s pockets. “I forgot them somewhere in my trailer, okay? As my boyfriend, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to warm them up without asking questions. I’m certain it was in the job description.”
With a laugh, Avry backed up a pace, pulling Keyne’s hands from behind himself and holding them up to his face so he could blow warm air across them, cupped between his own mittened hands. “I knew I should have read the fine print,” he teased back, continuing to puff air around a smile.
After a long moment, he realized they were just standing in the middle of the circus grounds, smiling dopily at each other, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, swinging their joined hands between them. “So, I have a…a thing. For you. A surprise thing. Well, a maybe surprise thing.”
Keyne’s chuckle stopped his babbling, and Avry turned wide eyes at him. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s had you so antsy and secretive the past couple of weeks? Not that it wasn’t really cute.” Keyne flashed his dimple and threw in a wink for good measure. “I’m just dying of curiosity, is all.”
Avry tipped his head, brows scrunched together in confusion. “You don’t already know?”
The look Keyne gave him was equal parts confusion and fondness. “I haven’t been able to see your timeline since the first time I told you I loved you.” He let out a soft laugh at the look of dawning realization on Avry’s face. “You are now too much a part of me to be able to see into your future. I have no idea what your surprise is.”
He stumbled back a few paces as Avry launched at him, obviously not prepared for the sudden onslaught of kisses. He didn’t seem to mind though, once he caught up, and Avry’s cheeks were flushed and his lips tingling before he finally pulled back, a delighted grin nearly splitting his face. “So I have a definite surprise for you. I think you’ll like it. I hope you’ll like it?”
Keyne grabbed one of his hands, dragging him close for another kiss. “It’s a surprise from you; I’m sure I’ll like it.”
Avry bounced in place, face suddenly alight, before starting to drag Keyne in the direction of the big top. He stopped them just outside, nearly vibrating with anticipation now that the moment of reveal was finally here. “Okay, close your eyes.”
Keyne shot him an unimpressed look, but Avry just stood there, patiently bouncing where he was, until Keyne gave in and closed his eyes. Avry took his hands, leading him carefully through the flap, grinning at their friends already gathered there. He waited until he was sure everyone was ready before taking a step back, dropping Keyne’s hands so he could crouch and activate the last sigil he’d drawn out earlier that afternoon.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
Keyne’s mouth dropped open, just the littlest bit, eyes wide with wonderment as he looked around the tent. The circus was in some desert town, cold enough for frost to form at night but not wet enough for snow, so Avry had turned the inside of the big top into their own winter wonderland. Altaira had strung lights from the tightrope, Quin helping to drape them between their high platforms. He could see Mackenzey holding court around a bonfire already, the other ring performers gathered around with mugs of hot chocolate.
Keyne was staring up at the ceiling, blinking away the snowflakes that Avry had enchanted to blanket the whole scene in glistening white. “You were sad the circus never got to see a white Christmas,” Avry murmured, coming to stand in front of Keyne. “I thought I could help out. Do you like it?” he asked hopefully, gnawing on his lower lip.
The twinkle of lights reflected in Keyne’s eyes as his gaze dropped from the snowfall. “Av, it’s perfect,” he breathed out, stepping closer so he could pull Avry into an embrace, head tucked into his shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured into the quiet between them.
Avry hugged him just a little bit tighter. “Merry Christmas, Keyne.”