a very special spaceship holiday

[tactician]

Partaaay on the First!

Nowadays, it's mostly humans that celebrate the winter holidays this...festively, but luckily for all of you, the leader of Circle 7, the System's most notorious crime mega-conglomerate, is human. He insisted on the celebration on the First, too, said something about morale and good cheer and a shit ton of (most likely laced) alcohol. Something about holiday pranks, too, but that might've just been my imagination.

There's mistletoe hanging everywhere, the suspicious smell of Astorean Norther Fir in the air, jingling bells tied to every doorway, and is it just me, or does that big Santa have a glass eye?

It's gonna be a grand ol' time.

Comments

[aphelionix]

Locke stared at Weiler, lowering his plastic cup of punch. "Asked what?"

[tactician]

It was for the better that Locke lowered it because otherwise, it would have been awfully in the way. Weiler stepped forward and moved that arm out of the way and to the side, where it wouldn't obstruct him or be caught between them as he reached up. Pulling Locke's head down, he led the man into a modest kiss underneath the mistletoe, neither minding the fact that they were in public nor the laughs and claps from a few people squeezing by.

He let go shortly and picked up his plate from where he had set it down, tugging Locke out of the entrance lest someone else try that with the man. He began nibbling on a slice of brie as if nothing had changed.

"How's the punch?"

[aphelionix]

Wow, what just happened?

Not that Locke was unused to public affection, given the way they met, but that was... random. He was left blinking as he was pulled away. Maybe he'd be a little more embarrassed, if Locke wasn't already convinced that everyone knew the nature of their relationship already.

"Good," he answered, still confused. "What was that for?"

[tactician]

Weiler raised a brow at him. "You were standing under mistletoe, Rhys."

[aphelionix]

A blink, and he glanced above where he had been standing. How could he forget that?

"Ah. Right. I didn't... see it there."

[tactician]

Locke earned an incredulous laugh for that. And here they were supposed to be observant. "You didn't see it there?" Weiler echoed.

[aphelionix]

Locke sighed. "I... heard once what it meant, and forgot, all right? It's been a long time. Mistletoe isn't common on Boriniat."

[tactician]

Weiler chuckled, shaking his head. Locke had no reason to be embarrassed about it. "It's more a conversation starter than anything, really. Whenever I saw it, it usually was an excuse for pent-up officials to get some action past their frigid spouses, or something of the like. It's not surprising that it wouldn't be popular on Gladsheim. I suspect that here, it's just someone's idea of a practical joke."

He canted his head, taking a sip of Locke's punch and handing it back to him before continuing. "Though I'd rather not have you standing there unknowingly requesting kisses anyway, if it's all right with you."

[aphelionix]

"It would definitely be frowned on by higher-ups," he said. "But I don't think it stopped the privates anyway." Locke reached over, stealing one of Weiler's cheeses, chewing.

When he was done, he added with a smile, "As for your request, yes, it's all right with me."

[tactician]

Weiler shrugged, not at all disturbed by that news.

"There's really only so much you can suppress about human nature. Even stiff, stuffy, all-business soldiers have to have some fun once in a while," Weiler said, looking up at Locke as if saying, As you would know.

[aphelionix]

Locke scoffed, his posture straightening. "Those soldiers are all about serious business, you know."

[tactician]

Weiler nodded solemnly, nothing festive about him except for, perhaps, his crimson tie. "Yes, I'm well aware. Those soldiers are only about their boot-polishing routines and their ships. Nothing else."

[aphelionix]

"Good thing I'm not one of them anymore," he said, with a small crack of a smile. "I would barely have time for a lover."

[tactician]

Weiler grinned. "And how unfortunate that'd be for some of us."

He looked back to the middle of the hall, where some members of the First were dancing around each other in obviously-drunken games. Everyone was mostly minding their own business, rather than trying to keep unspoken, nosy tabs on each other from their separate corners, like the parties Weiler was used to. It felt easy, happy, and even a little warm. (He supposed that's what holidays were supposed to feel like.)

"Do you have time for a dance?" he asked smoothly.

[aphelionix]

Locke smiled at the offer, setting down his now empty cup. He felt pretty good, actually, and he had only drank one alcoholic beverage prior to the one he picked up while Weiler went on his cheese run. One could say he even felt a little jolly with the Christmas cheer going on.

"I suppose I can spare a moment," he said. "But I only know how to quickstep."

[tactician]

The music blaring over the PA system was something more akin to Paneon Rock, but, "We can quickstep to this."

[aphelionix]

"Unless you know a more appropriate dance you can teach me," he said. Locke didn't exactly want to get stared at for antiquated ballroom dancing, but at the same time, he wasn't sure anyone would be paying much attention to them.

[tactician]

"The quickstep is appropriate for everything," Weiler responded in kind, taking Locke's hand and putting it on his elbow like a true blue-blooded gentleman. He half-led, half-tugged the shyer man to a particularly innocuous section of the dance area and turned to face him. "Who should lead?"

[aphelionix]

"Um. You're better at this," he said, placing one hand on Weiler's shoulder. "I think you should."

[tactician]

Weiler nodded, looking happy - not because Locke had allowed him to lead, but because Locke was comfortable enough to do this at all. He put slipped a hand around Locke's waist and threaded the fingers of their other hand together, and even he had to admit that with the slight differences in their height and their not-quite-as-slight differences in frame, it looked a little ridiculous.

Oh well.

"On my count," Weiler said, grinning despite himself, and at, 'three,' he swept them off.

[aphelionix]

Amazingly, Locke turned out to be quite coordinated when not executing this in a tiny room. It did help that sometimes they'd goof around and Weiler would pick up his hands and pull him through McGraw with dance. There was never any music they actually went to, though, and it helped set a beat for Locke to follow.

Once he was accustomed enough to dance and talk at the same time, he said, "This isn't so bad, actually."

[tactician]

Weiler shook his head with a smile, voice soft. "Not bad at all."

[aphelionix]

He smiled back, letting his step fall a little closer. "I'm thinking of getting McGraw a tune-up for Christmas."

[tactician]

"Are you?" said Weiler knowingly. "So the ship gets Christmas presents now, is it?"

[aphelionix]

"Well, it's kind of for all of us, technically... Wouldn't want to get stranded out in space now, right?"