Christmas. It was one of the few times of year that Will didn't ruin his environment with his sense of humor.
Mostly.
Christmas Eve itself had been something special, a day long visit from Crispin and Shae, a training session that ended up more of a hangout session, with casual snacking, videogames, and eventually the Fundane digging deep into his cooking repertoire to prepare them homemade stir-fry and shrimp fried rice. It was a special holiday for him, so while he downplayed the significance, he was less than half as likely to tease/antagonize and twice as generous. The exception being MarioKart (Sorry, Cris). Their eventual departure came with the promise to return for supper the next night, a ham and all the fixings, leaving Will and Nicanora alone in the soft glow of their tree, finishing off the nice bottle of wine bought for the occasion and, just as importantly,finishing what they'd start early that morning.
Christmas came early that year. Will? He came often.
The morning started much as they night had ended, with feverish kisses and tangled limbs, merry sounds echoing off the walls of the apartment. When they were sated, momentarily at least, Will left his dozing beauty for the kitchen, waking her for real some time later with a kiss and a steaming mug of her favorite coffee; a light breakfast of fluffy eggs, bacon, and brioche toast.
Nothing said good morning like a dark roast with just the right amount of cream, crispy bacon, toast slathered in strawberry preserves, and the most divine eggs this side of heaven. Breakfast in bed wasn't unusual by any means, a nice return to semi-normality after the odd peculiarities the not-so-Mundane had been showing as of late. Nica had chalked it up to her increasing training and case time and all of the extra hours he had been putting in at work. Still, she rolled out of bed long enough for a trip to the bathroom and a quick brush of her hair and teeth before returning to bed and the tray he had brought in. As she climbed back into bed and tucked her legs beneath the still warm blanket, she cut the paramedic a sleepy but content smile and scooped up a single piece of bacon. "Feliz Navidad, hermoso."
Nicanora received a slow, lingering kiss before that bacon could reach her pretty lips. "Merry Christmas, Fanny."
His body was soon melded gently to hers again, an innocent intimacy where they half spooned together as they shared breakfast, casual conversation mixed in between bites. When breakfast was done, the beautiful brunette Nephilim was pulled back beneath the heavy covers of their bed again, another proper good morning shared and another lazy hour laying there after, before the paramedic himself roused them both from bed. "Shower now or later?"
There were more gifts beneath the tree then there had been the night before.
"Mmm, let's say later. Maybe once the ham's in the oven?" She offered out with a languid stretch that ended with her flopping back on the bed with a noncommittal groan. Presents were exciting sure, but he had done a particularly thorough job of wearing her out. If they were going to entertain company later in the day, it would be important to save their strength. Or something. Really, she could have benefitted from more coffee. Speaking of, she sat back up and got to her feet with no small amount of begrudging reluctance. "Perhaps coffee and presents, then a shower, eh?"
"I'll get the coffee," he intoned over his shoulder, slipping into a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt. "You start tearin' up wrapping paper. Preferably naked."
"There a fire going yet?" That would dictate just how much clothing she wore out into the living room. For a renovated warehouse, it was still rather drafty and this wasn't Miami in December.
He lingered in the kitchen for a time, wolfing down what was left of the eggs and another piece of toast, before joining her at the couch with a steaming mug clutched in each hand. Happy to be lazy from there, he watched her with lapis blue eyes.
"Not yet." Will wasn't a mind reader, but he knew when his woman wanted something. Laziness would have to wait. Both mugs were set down and he was then moving to toss some logs into their well-used fireplace. With a Duralog added, the fire caught and built easily, albeit still slowly, but they didn't have terribly long to wait before the warm air was wafting towards them.
Yet was a good keyword. So rather than dig out fluffy pajamas, she wrapped herself in a fleece throw blanket and hauled herself out into the open layout that lay beyond their bedroom, one of the few closed off areas of the floor that made up their apartments. By the time she made it there, he had it slowly crackling, so she wrapped the blanket like a towel around herself and stacked an armful of presents up to bring back to the couch. They were lovingly dumped between the two of them on the center cushion long enough for her to steal a sip of his coffee and then her own coffee before shoving a rectangular box his way to open. "Which one shall I open first?"
"Any one you want, Nicanora," he let her name roll of his tongue. "All the way to the bottom of the pile." Will chewed on the inside of his cheek momentarily but hid the mild apprehension behind the tip of his mug as he drank. The first box she opened was a new set of leather boots, custom work with slip-resistant soles and three sheaths for slim throwing blades at the east, south, and west positions. Matte black, no gloss.
"Shoooooooes," she squeed happily and hugged the boots to her chest. Supple, well made, they would hold up well in training and work both. In trade, he had a brand new pair of running shoes in black and blue with bright blue laces. Working through her pile, there were shirts and games and gloves, a soccer jersey that she put on right then and there. For the paramedic, a Nintendo DS with games (to keep him occupied during slow times at work), padded sparring gloves that oddly matched the ones he had bought her, and a festive pair of boxers that had little jingle bells on them. "My father sent a card too... included your name on it. So... Merry Christmas."
"That's good," he murmured against her neck when he was through marveling at her thoughtfulness, having made a small treasure pile out of the gifts she had given him. Her face was turned towards his with a touch of the hand so that he could kiss her long and slow, sweeter than it was sensual, but when he broke it, he did so to speaking against her lips. "I know we've got some stuff for the others in there, but I think you missed one in the back."
It was there, easy to miss in the shadows beneath the tree. It was a moderately large box, wrapped in velvety black with a tag on it that read: 'For the beautiful woman in black, a hunter in the night'.
"It's progress." Nica nodded, carefully stacking her bounty bit by bit on the coffee table. It was a lovely little horde, modest but thoughtful in all of the right ways. She had just finished drinking from her mug when he tipped her chin toward him. The inevitable smile was evident against his lips all the while, even as he broke away to mumble a nudge back toward the tree. Ever so reluctantly she spilled from her entanglement, leaving the fleece blanket behind to traipse over to the tree one last time. It took some (intentional) bending over to find the last box with her name on it. Pretty and black, she pulled it free and gave it a little shake on her way back to the couch. "Black for hunting through the night... what've we got here, Sir Loaf?"
How could he not admire that view? One that never got old...
"Open it," he urged her, trying not to sound to eager and failing.
Within the black wrapped box was another, this one smaller than the first and wrapped in velvety red. Another tag adorned this box, written in the paramedic's near scrawl: 'A beautiful warrior woman who enchanted me and stole my heart'. Opening it revealed yet another smaller box, this wrapped in crisp white paper, its tag reading: 'We've shared our loss, our mourning, and in doing so have grown so much closer together'. After it green, the words on the tag written with a shakier hand: 'You've filled my heart and I can only hope my love has mended yours some, or at least we can be broken together'.
The last was the smallest box of all. It was a small, domed jewelry box molded with pretty golden foil. It opened easily, revealing the sparkling piece of jewelry within. It fit their relationship and the situation, but even as the realization set it, Will was sliding off of the couch and onto the floor, kneeling between her knees. He held his tongue and waiting for what he saw in her expression before speaking.
"I am, I am..." She said with a laugh, her fingers slipping beneath the edge of the soft wrapping to peel it away. Bit by bit, she pulled it aside then set the velveteen paper on the floor beside the couch. It didn't take much to pop the box open but rather than find her gift, there was another box. Her brows lifted and she gave him an incredulous look. Her eyes ticked over the note as she free the second box and began unwrapping it, her lips moving with the words on the next one. Toward the end, her teeth tugged at the inside of her cheek and she gingerly freed the third box. Once more she was (not so) surprised to find yet another box inside. The green one's tag was a bit harder to read but she made it through enough to get it open and find the last parcel within. Gold, gorgeous gold. It came away with ease but she already knew what the box under it was. Her thumbs pressed against the lid as Will slipped onto the floor in front of her. For some reason her mouth had gone terribly dry, her eyes wide and her expression somewhere between confused and elated. "Will?"
"There's nothin' in the world that I wouldn't do for you. For us." His hands slid up over her knees, and then along her thighs, until rising to capture her hands in his, which were trembling. Lapis blue eyes were locked onto her lovely face in the subtle light. "I want you to be my wife. I want to marry you. I... f*ck, I want this and I never thought I would. I want all of it. Truly, madly, deeply. I even asked Crispin, Nee, and the Altatorres for their blessing... I know there's supposed to be a family ring but this was the best I could do. Maybe later I can have one made and we can..."
He was rambling.
"I know it." She said softly, her chin lowering slightly. Her hands closed around the box as his fingers wrapped hers up and though she was intent on what may have been in it, she was far more interested in what he had to say instead. Crispin and Niamh had known, those bastards. But even Christopher's parents knew. It made her wonder if Gregorio knew by now or not. Surely she would have never heard the end of it if he had. The weight of the silver right on her left middle finger was awfully heavy at the moment. Beneath his touch, she shifted it until it began to slide down the long, thin finger where it dangled at the very tip.
"Hold this for me?" Nica intoned, the Truecross ring pinched in her grasp until he took it. Then and only then did she push up on the jewelry box's lid to espy what was within. Held between six blunt silver prongs was a round brilliant cut diamond. On either side, it was flanked by a rebel insignia with inset gemstones in a pale blue shade. Topaz maybe, Nica wasn't sure but it was gorgeous. She freed it from its bed in the box and held it up for inspection, her smile steadily growing. "I think Christopher would have approved..."
Will took the ring as asked, closing it up securely in one fist. His gaze dipped from her lovely face, following her stare down to the box as it opened. He was deathly silent as she inspected the ring and when she spoke again, a small smile curved his mouth. "I'll never be him. Can't be. But I promise to love you with everything I've got and that I'll move heaven and hell, if that's what it takes, when you need me. Be my wife, Nicanora Truecross."
"Hey, oye." She stopped her inspection, looking up to meet his gaze. With her free hand, she touched at his jaw and leaned down just long enough to kiss the bridge of his nose. "I don't want you to be him. Separate but equal in different ways, I promise." Another kiss, this one to the edge of his mouth and then a third full on the lips. It was best if she didn't overthink things, not right now. The moment was too... perfect. They could figure out the details when the elation settled. "S?. Ser? tu esposa, Will."
When she said yes, he kissed her again, long and slow. There was a lot of emotion to convey in that kiss, but even as their mouths sealed, the Fundane took the ring from her hand with his empty one and slowly slipped it onto her finger. The act only caused him to deepen his kiss, allowing this to grow deliciously scandalous until they were both breathless and he was drawing back. "Merry Christmas, Fanny."
Her fumbling for his hands wasn't nearly as steady, grasping for the silver ring in his hold to wiggle it on to his pinky before he finally drew back. There was that smile, full lipped and bright. "Happy date-iversary too... I'm totally kicking Crispin's ass later, just so you know..."
"Good." Will grinned. "He needs a good shaming every once in a while to remind him of the natural order of things. " For a few moments, the paramedic flexed his hand, getting used to the feel of the ring on his finger. "Now... what do you say I peel you out of that jersey and we go have a nice long, thorough, hot celebration shower?"
He was already between her knees so it was easy to wrap her legs around his waist, slipping to the edge of the couch to loop her arms around his neck. "I say let's go."
"You're the best ho-ho-ho ever." He kissed her again and lifted her up off of the couch, carrying her towards the bathroom.
Mostly.
Christmas Eve itself had been something special, a day long visit from Crispin and Shae, a training session that ended up more of a hangout session, with casual snacking, videogames, and eventually the Fundane digging deep into his cooking repertoire to prepare them homemade stir-fry and shrimp fried rice. It was a special holiday for him, so while he downplayed the significance, he was less than half as likely to tease/antagonize and twice as generous. The exception being MarioKart (Sorry, Cris). Their eventual departure came with the promise to return for supper the next night, a ham and all the fixings, leaving Will and Nicanora alone in the soft glow of their tree, finishing off the nice bottle of wine bought for the occasion and, just as importantly,finishing what they'd start early that morning.
Christmas came early that year. Will? He came often.
The morning started much as they night had ended, with feverish kisses and tangled limbs, merry sounds echoing off the walls of the apartment. When they were sated, momentarily at least, Will left his dozing beauty for the kitchen, waking her for real some time later with a kiss and a steaming mug of her favorite coffee; a light breakfast of fluffy eggs, bacon, and brioche toast.
Nothing said good morning like a dark roast with just the right amount of cream, crispy bacon, toast slathered in strawberry preserves, and the most divine eggs this side of heaven. Breakfast in bed wasn't unusual by any means, a nice return to semi-normality after the odd peculiarities the not-so-Mundane had been showing as of late. Nica had chalked it up to her increasing training and case time and all of the extra hours he had been putting in at work. Still, she rolled out of bed long enough for a trip to the bathroom and a quick brush of her hair and teeth before returning to bed and the tray he had brought in. As she climbed back into bed and tucked her legs beneath the still warm blanket, she cut the paramedic a sleepy but content smile and scooped up a single piece of bacon. "Feliz Navidad, hermoso."
Nicanora received a slow, lingering kiss before that bacon could reach her pretty lips. "Merry Christmas, Fanny."
His body was soon melded gently to hers again, an innocent intimacy where they half spooned together as they shared breakfast, casual conversation mixed in between bites. When breakfast was done, the beautiful brunette Nephilim was pulled back beneath the heavy covers of their bed again, another proper good morning shared and another lazy hour laying there after, before the paramedic himself roused them both from bed. "Shower now or later?"
There were more gifts beneath the tree then there had been the night before.
"Mmm, let's say later. Maybe once the ham's in the oven?" She offered out with a languid stretch that ended with her flopping back on the bed with a noncommittal groan. Presents were exciting sure, but he had done a particularly thorough job of wearing her out. If they were going to entertain company later in the day, it would be important to save their strength. Or something. Really, she could have benefitted from more coffee. Speaking of, she sat back up and got to her feet with no small amount of begrudging reluctance. "Perhaps coffee and presents, then a shower, eh?"
"I'll get the coffee," he intoned over his shoulder, slipping into a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt. "You start tearin' up wrapping paper. Preferably naked."
"There a fire going yet?" That would dictate just how much clothing she wore out into the living room. For a renovated warehouse, it was still rather drafty and this wasn't Miami in December.
He lingered in the kitchen for a time, wolfing down what was left of the eggs and another piece of toast, before joining her at the couch with a steaming mug clutched in each hand. Happy to be lazy from there, he watched her with lapis blue eyes.
"Not yet." Will wasn't a mind reader, but he knew when his woman wanted something. Laziness would have to wait. Both mugs were set down and he was then moving to toss some logs into their well-used fireplace. With a Duralog added, the fire caught and built easily, albeit still slowly, but they didn't have terribly long to wait before the warm air was wafting towards them.
Yet was a good keyword. So rather than dig out fluffy pajamas, she wrapped herself in a fleece throw blanket and hauled herself out into the open layout that lay beyond their bedroom, one of the few closed off areas of the floor that made up their apartments. By the time she made it there, he had it slowly crackling, so she wrapped the blanket like a towel around herself and stacked an armful of presents up to bring back to the couch. They were lovingly dumped between the two of them on the center cushion long enough for her to steal a sip of his coffee and then her own coffee before shoving a rectangular box his way to open. "Which one shall I open first?"
"Any one you want, Nicanora," he let her name roll of his tongue. "All the way to the bottom of the pile." Will chewed on the inside of his cheek momentarily but hid the mild apprehension behind the tip of his mug as he drank. The first box she opened was a new set of leather boots, custom work with slip-resistant soles and three sheaths for slim throwing blades at the east, south, and west positions. Matte black, no gloss.
"Shoooooooes," she squeed happily and hugged the boots to her chest. Supple, well made, they would hold up well in training and work both. In trade, he had a brand new pair of running shoes in black and blue with bright blue laces. Working through her pile, there were shirts and games and gloves, a soccer jersey that she put on right then and there. For the paramedic, a Nintendo DS with games (to keep him occupied during slow times at work), padded sparring gloves that oddly matched the ones he had bought her, and a festive pair of boxers that had little jingle bells on them. "My father sent a card too... included your name on it. So... Merry Christmas."
"That's good," he murmured against her neck when he was through marveling at her thoughtfulness, having made a small treasure pile out of the gifts she had given him. Her face was turned towards his with a touch of the hand so that he could kiss her long and slow, sweeter than it was sensual, but when he broke it, he did so to speaking against her lips. "I know we've got some stuff for the others in there, but I think you missed one in the back."
It was there, easy to miss in the shadows beneath the tree. It was a moderately large box, wrapped in velvety black with a tag on it that read: 'For the beautiful woman in black, a hunter in the night'.
"It's progress." Nica nodded, carefully stacking her bounty bit by bit on the coffee table. It was a lovely little horde, modest but thoughtful in all of the right ways. She had just finished drinking from her mug when he tipped her chin toward him. The inevitable smile was evident against his lips all the while, even as he broke away to mumble a nudge back toward the tree. Ever so reluctantly she spilled from her entanglement, leaving the fleece blanket behind to traipse over to the tree one last time. It took some (intentional) bending over to find the last box with her name on it. Pretty and black, she pulled it free and gave it a little shake on her way back to the couch. "Black for hunting through the night... what've we got here, Sir Loaf?"
How could he not admire that view? One that never got old...
"Open it," he urged her, trying not to sound to eager and failing.
Within the black wrapped box was another, this one smaller than the first and wrapped in velvety red. Another tag adorned this box, written in the paramedic's near scrawl: 'A beautiful warrior woman who enchanted me and stole my heart'. Opening it revealed yet another smaller box, this wrapped in crisp white paper, its tag reading: 'We've shared our loss, our mourning, and in doing so have grown so much closer together'. After it green, the words on the tag written with a shakier hand: 'You've filled my heart and I can only hope my love has mended yours some, or at least we can be broken together'.
The last was the smallest box of all. It was a small, domed jewelry box molded with pretty golden foil. It opened easily, revealing the sparkling piece of jewelry within. It fit their relationship and the situation, but even as the realization set it, Will was sliding off of the couch and onto the floor, kneeling between her knees. He held his tongue and waiting for what he saw in her expression before speaking.
"I am, I am..." She said with a laugh, her fingers slipping beneath the edge of the soft wrapping to peel it away. Bit by bit, she pulled it aside then set the velveteen paper on the floor beside the couch. It didn't take much to pop the box open but rather than find her gift, there was another box. Her brows lifted and she gave him an incredulous look. Her eyes ticked over the note as she free the second box and began unwrapping it, her lips moving with the words on the next one. Toward the end, her teeth tugged at the inside of her cheek and she gingerly freed the third box. Once more she was (not so) surprised to find yet another box inside. The green one's tag was a bit harder to read but she made it through enough to get it open and find the last parcel within. Gold, gorgeous gold. It came away with ease but she already knew what the box under it was. Her thumbs pressed against the lid as Will slipped onto the floor in front of her. For some reason her mouth had gone terribly dry, her eyes wide and her expression somewhere between confused and elated. "Will?"
"There's nothin' in the world that I wouldn't do for you. For us." His hands slid up over her knees, and then along her thighs, until rising to capture her hands in his, which were trembling. Lapis blue eyes were locked onto her lovely face in the subtle light. "I want you to be my wife. I want to marry you. I... f*ck, I want this and I never thought I would. I want all of it. Truly, madly, deeply. I even asked Crispin, Nee, and the Altatorres for their blessing... I know there's supposed to be a family ring but this was the best I could do. Maybe later I can have one made and we can..."
He was rambling.
"I know it." She said softly, her chin lowering slightly. Her hands closed around the box as his fingers wrapped hers up and though she was intent on what may have been in it, she was far more interested in what he had to say instead. Crispin and Niamh had known, those bastards. But even Christopher's parents knew. It made her wonder if Gregorio knew by now or not. Surely she would have never heard the end of it if he had. The weight of the silver right on her left middle finger was awfully heavy at the moment. Beneath his touch, she shifted it until it began to slide down the long, thin finger where it dangled at the very tip.
"Hold this for me?" Nica intoned, the Truecross ring pinched in her grasp until he took it. Then and only then did she push up on the jewelry box's lid to espy what was within. Held between six blunt silver prongs was a round brilliant cut diamond. On either side, it was flanked by a rebel insignia with inset gemstones in a pale blue shade. Topaz maybe, Nica wasn't sure but it was gorgeous. She freed it from its bed in the box and held it up for inspection, her smile steadily growing. "I think Christopher would have approved..."
Will took the ring as asked, closing it up securely in one fist. His gaze dipped from her lovely face, following her stare down to the box as it opened. He was deathly silent as she inspected the ring and when she spoke again, a small smile curved his mouth. "I'll never be him. Can't be. But I promise to love you with everything I've got and that I'll move heaven and hell, if that's what it takes, when you need me. Be my wife, Nicanora Truecross."
"Hey, oye." She stopped her inspection, looking up to meet his gaze. With her free hand, she touched at his jaw and leaned down just long enough to kiss the bridge of his nose. "I don't want you to be him. Separate but equal in different ways, I promise." Another kiss, this one to the edge of his mouth and then a third full on the lips. It was best if she didn't overthink things, not right now. The moment was too... perfect. They could figure out the details when the elation settled. "S?. Ser? tu esposa, Will."
When she said yes, he kissed her again, long and slow. There was a lot of emotion to convey in that kiss, but even as their mouths sealed, the Fundane took the ring from her hand with his empty one and slowly slipped it onto her finger. The act only caused him to deepen his kiss, allowing this to grow deliciously scandalous until they were both breathless and he was drawing back. "Merry Christmas, Fanny."
Her fumbling for his hands wasn't nearly as steady, grasping for the silver ring in his hold to wiggle it on to his pinky before he finally drew back. There was that smile, full lipped and bright. "Happy date-iversary too... I'm totally kicking Crispin's ass later, just so you know..."
"Good." Will grinned. "He needs a good shaming every once in a while to remind him of the natural order of things. " For a few moments, the paramedic flexed his hand, getting used to the feel of the ring on his finger. "Now... what do you say I peel you out of that jersey and we go have a nice long, thorough, hot celebration shower?"
He was already between her knees so it was easy to wrap her legs around his waist, slipping to the edge of the couch to loop her arms around his neck. "I say let's go."
"You're the best ho-ho-ho ever." He kissed her again and lifted her up off of the couch, carrying her towards the bathroom.