near the end of a long year

[tactician]

Rare was the day where the political sphere wasn't abuzz, even all the way down to the lower echelons of the profession, with secretaries and agencies worming their way into last minute flights for their significantly more powerful supervisors, but even on Ennaspie, Christmas morning was a quiet one. Rarer were still was a quiet morning where Weiler wasn't sound asleep when Locke woke to a room bathed in early light.

Instead, though Weiler had stayed in bed by Locke's side, he was sitting up against the headboard, blankets pulled up to his waist as he looked at something through a sliver of window behind the drawn curtains, a soft ivory they had settled on after (admittedly not much) consideration. He was sleepy-eyed when he noticed the shift in Locke's breathing from slumber to waking and looked down, but he didn't say anything quite yet.

He only smiled, in fact, and said nothing at all.

Comments

[aphelionix]

Drowsily, Locke dragged the blankets from his face. Sharing a bed with Weiler in the winter was just about the coziest thing he'd ever experienced. Outside was snowy and icy, something he was admittedly unused to back at Bayside. He still wasn't used to it yet, but there was a charm to the snow that he didn't quite mind; especially since on this particular day, he could spend it inside as long as he wanted with the very person he wanted to spend it with.

"You're awake," Locke said, surprised even in his half-awake state. His arm was still across Weiler's lap, his hand patting the side of his leg.

[tactician]

"Impressed?" asked Weiler, tilting his head onto one shoulder indulgently.

[aphelionix]

"Very." Smiling slowly, he pulled himself up, sitting next to Weiler. Locke leaned in, kissing his nose. "Any reason for that?"

[tactician]

Weiler laughed, wrinkling his nose under the attention and kissing Locke's chin in retaliation. It was scratchy since he hadn't shaved yet, and again, Weiler chuckled at that, too.

"I thought I'd do something special, like fix coffee or breakfast, but then I couldn't find it in me to drag myself out of bed. My deepest apologies."

[aphelionix]

"And on Christmas morning," he sighed, but soon followed it with an actual kiss, mumbling against the corner of Weiler's lips. "I guess I can let it slide since for that very reason, though."

[tactician]

Weiler's hair was messy and sticking up near his nape where the gel hadn't taken to being slept on that kindly, but he didn't seem to be in a great hurry to fix it. A hand sliding up Locke's neck, Weiler tilted his head back against the headboard and languidly ran the side of his thumb against the man's jaw.

"How very generous of you," he commented. "Are you equally as generous with all aspects of Christmas?"

[aphelionix]

"That depends on the aspect," Locke answered, very diplomatically. He really had picked up some habits from Weiler. Pulling back, he smiled again, his hand picking up Weiler's free one. "I could make coffee, for instance."

[tactician]

"Ah, but the real question is," said Weiler, squeezing Locke's hand. "Can you make coffee and bring it back here?"

[aphelionix]

He laughed. "Are we spending the whole day in bed?"

[tactician]

Weiler brightened. Locke laughing was a good sound to start the day off with.

"Not the entire day," he supplied, looking pleading. "But it's still so early."

[aphelionix]

"Fair enough," he said, reluctantly pulling himself away to stand. "I'll make coffee and breakfast."

[tactician]

It seemed as though Locke wasn't the only one reluctant, because a few moments after they had separated and Locke was well on his way to setting up the brewer and pulling out a pan or two, Weiler joined him as well, one of Locke's T-shirts thrown over his own sleeping clothes and a small department store bag in hand.

"I forgot this," Weiler said, holding the bag out to Locke. The tiny bag was weighed down exactly by one pair of normal socks and one pair of...appropriately lizard-patterned ones. "They ran out of iguana."

[aphelionix]

Locke stopped what he was doing, leaving the pans on the stove, raising an eyebrow at the bag handed to him. A smile stretched his lips when he pulled the socks out, setting the bag aside.

"They're great," he said, running a thumb over the material. The multicolored lizards even had their tongues sticking out. Locke leaned forward to kiss Weiler. "Thank you."

[aphelionix]

Soon after Christmas, New Year's inevitably followed, and though Locke and Weiler hadn't found themselves big on holidays, they did enjoy a small celebration. Locke brought home a bottle of champagne after the day's errands and odd jobs, and it sat on the counter untouched until about a quarter to midnight. The streets downtown were abuzz with celebration by now, but in their apartment, it was hard to hear beyond the bits of cheering when you were near a window. Locke enjoyed it better this way, though, the way he enjoyed many things; warm and with Weiler.

Locke took two glasses from the cabinet, setting them on the counter.

"Think it's close enough to go ahead and open it?"

[tactician]

Weiler looked up from the couch in the living room area, arms stretched over the back. Since today had been a holiday and, furthermore, one that they had spent inside in lieu of their surprisingly eventful Christmas, he hadn't even bothered changing out of the usual T-shirt and sweatpants he slept in (the latter an addition only during the winter months). There was no need to - the apartment was well-heated, private, and in no short supply of good company.

He glanced back at the entertainment projection screen on the wall. The time and counter on the bottom right read 11:15, forty-five minutes until the end of the year in their Systemic Zone. If his calculations were correct and provided they reasonably pace themselves, Locke would be well on his way to Cuddly As A Teddy Bear and Affectionate As A Dog by the time the new year rolled around.

He turned his body in his seat toward the counter, grinning at Locke. "I'd say it's just about right."

Some old habits died hard.

[aphelionix]

Just as old habits died hard, so did old traditions. The old-fashioned cork on the champagne was tight, and Locke had a little trouble loosening it, but once he felt it give he said, "Better duck down."

Pop! The cork hit the wall, bouncing up to the ceiling and from there losing momentum and hitting the floor, rolling until it stopped at the front door. A bit of the alcohol fizzed over, but less than Locke would've thought, only getting the very ends of his fingers wet. He served up the two cups, then rejoined Weiler in the living room, passing him a glass. "Cheers."

[tactician]

Sliding back up from where he had ducked behind the back of the chair at Locke's warning, Weiler laughed as he took the glass of champagne from the man's fingers. "Cheers."

The glass was better suited to wine drinking than a champagne flute was, wider and more standard-issue, picked up at one of the houseware stores around the area. The champagne itself was fragrant but not exactly the expensive stuff that they would pass around in Wallabin's office as consolation prizes for having to work over the holidays.

But this was the best New Year's Eve yet.

Weiler drew his legs up onto the seat, bending them at the knee and tucking them close to his body as he swirled the drink in his cup and then proceeded to down half of it in one go. It was a pale purple color, indicative of Ennaspiean local drinks, and the plentiful amount of fizz made a person warm and light as it went down.

He turned to watch Locke out of the corner of his eye as the man drank as well and, with a smile, teased, "Don't overdo it, Rhys."

[aphelionix]

"I never overdo it," Locke teased back, knowing very well that he did tend to overdo it, what with his threshold being much lower than Weiler's. He sipped the champagne slowly, the warmth traveling down his throat into his stomach. It wasn't like Borinitian champagne, but the flavor was still good and unique. Come to think of it, it was his first time trying Ennaspiean champagne.

"It's good," he said, examining his glass and its lilac color.

[tactician]

"It's deceptively sweet, but its alcohol content is actually a little higher than Boriniat fare, if that's what you're comparing it to," Weiler said, leaning against Locke's side and pressing an amused smile into his shoulder. "Be careful not to underestimate it."

[aphelionix]

Locke eyed it a second longer, before looking down at Weiler.

"Are you hoping that I do underestimate it?" he asked, with half a grin.

[tactician]

Weiler shrugged, leaning his head back against the couch.

"I'm guessing that the results won't change all that much either way," he smirked, tipping back the rest of the glass before getting up to retrieve the bottle. "But you're a little less reserved when you do."

[aphelionix]

He smiled, turning his attention back to the TV projection. They still had well over half an hour until midnight. "Only a little," he said.

[tactician]

The cushion lining the back of the couch dipped to either side of Locke's head as Weiler leaned over his head, bottle in one hand. He handed the open container of champagne to Locke to take and place on the coffee table before leaning down, their noses brushing upside-down.

"But I do so love it when you are."

[aphelionix]

Locke took the bottle carefully, tilting his chin up just enough to kiss the tip of Weiler's nose playfully.

"Maybe I'll only overdo it a little," he reasoned, naturally unable to resist doing something Weiler claimed to love.

[tactician]

Weiler smiled, brushing his lips against Locke's hairline before he circled the couch. It took only a few seconds to refill his glass and top off Locke's again (not that he was trying or anything). Then, he settled back against Locke, making himself comfortable a second time.

"You don't have to," he reassured with a laugh, a hand raising to settle against the side of Locke's neck, rubbing against the skin there (almost like petting a large animal, ironically enough). Locke was the type of person to spoil someone he cared about, but Weiler wasn't here just because he needed to be humored. "I was just teasing, and I like when you're either way."