faderift | I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

"Hey, Sam, let me up a second."

Kirk nudged his lover with his thigh, letting off his playing with Samouel's dark hair as the mage leaned up against him between his legs. Kirk set aside the novel he had been reading in favor of bracing to push himself out of the bed and pad over to one of the drawers. If he bent over so that he gave Sam a nice view of his rear as he rummaged, well, consider that his apology for having to move them from their comfortable entanglement.

It takes the mage a moment to grasp that Kirk wasn't reading that line out of the book - where did that Samouel character come from, and he had the same name - and actually asking him to get up. He's a bit reluctant to get up, as he was warm and comfortable with their current position, but nevertheless Sam does push himself up so that Kirk can slide out.

Sam immediately allows himself to sprawl out over the mattress, effectively taking over it, watching lazily from his spot as Kirk goes off to look for something. There's a slight hum as Kirk obviously stands in such a way for his viewing pleasure, but the rummaging in the drawer ultimately has his attention.

"What you looking for?"

"Oh, hey, I have a surprise for you."

The thought seems to come from nowhere as Kirk rests atop Iskandar in the bed above the forge, sheets draped loosely around his hips. He lifted himself up, stretching and raising his arms towards the ceiling, which had the added bonus of giving Iskandar a little show, his skin still red and blushing in certain places from Iskandar's affections earlier.

Smirking to himself, Kirk wriggled off Iskandar's hips and promptly crouched down beside the bed, patting with his fingers until he felt the edge of the box he'd hidden beneath before bringing Iskandar back to the loft.

"Close your eyes," he commanded.

Any and all similarities to persons or events is accidental and purely works of fiction, Sam. Purely fiction. He laughed when he heard the bed creak under Sam's position adjustment, already seeing how he had taken over the space in his head. He only knew because he had seen the position before, and he rather liked it, especially when Sam was naked.

"Well, we have this celebration, back on my world called Christmas," he explained. "It's a celebration of winter, much like your Saturnalia. And one of the traditions is that you give gifts to those close and special to you."

Slowly he straightened, holding a rectangular object wrapped in a colorful bit of cloth. Turning, he came back to the bed, sitting on the edge and holding it out to him.

"Merry Christmas," he smiled.

They'd been cuddling rather nicely when Jim wanted to get up and he lifted a brow but let him move to do so. Mainly because he was curious as to what this surprise was. Well that and he did always enjoy that naked body as it moved around the room. Hence why he reclined and put his hands behind his head to enjoy the view before he was told to close his eyes.

"Hmm?" Still, he obeyed after some blinking. Even he could obey that much. Besides, it wasn't like the man was going to do anything terrible to him, that much was rather obvious.

"What is it?"

Well, he had to at least ask.

For such a large animal, Atlas was surprisingly delicate. Delicate enough that at first Kirk didn't notice the large horse lipping at his hair, not until he felt a bit of slobber settle into the fine strands and work down to his scalp. It was his own fault really - having assuming a seat atop a tack box in front of his stall beneath his window was he waited for Hermoine to come and meet him per his request, a small satchel on the floor near his feet.

"Hey, hey, my hair is not a snack!" he chided the mischievous creature, brushing at the strands with only mild irritation as Atlas let out a snort Kirk had the distinct feeling was a laugh.

"A surprise," Kirk drawled, pulling the wooden box out and climbing back into bed. There was not to much room given Iskandar's size, but there was enough as Kirk resumed his place atop his hips. For a bit of fun he might have wiggled more than was strictly necessary, but he couldn't resist.

He held the box up to his chest, the box itself rather unassuming except for the pattern worked onto the top - a grid of squares in alternating colors of light and dark wood. A chess board, for those who knew the game.

"All right, open up," his voice bubbled with excitement.

"Sounds a lot like Saturnalia." Course that had already come and gone - along with a gift of jams during the holiday for reasons. Still at hearing about gifts, Sam shifts again so that he was laying on his stomach and leaning up on his elbows.

"Christmas, huh?" he asks, reaching out to take the clothed object. For a moment Sam merely looks at it as it is, turning it over as if he would be able to tell what it was. Eventually he slowly unwraps it.

"Mmmm...mm..." Okay yes he could still enjoy someone wiggling more than was necessary on his lap. He even smiled some but still kept his hands to himself while he waited because he had no way of knowing if this was something erotic or not. After all, this was Jim.

When he heard him give permission, Iskandar opened his eyes and looked at the box. Blinking a couple times, he tilted his head. Then it dawned on him and he smiled.

"Is it a game of some sort?" He might not recognize what the game was but he certainly could figure out that it was a game at all!

Cloth fell away to reveal a leather bound journal, a simple design on the front that he had found for cheap at one of the markets. But it wasn't empty on the inside. Instead, contained on the pages, in Kirk's precise script, were details about worlds. Worlds not found in Thedas' sky or upon her shores.

Each page had the name of the planet written atop it, a series of small, fun notes or events of import, and either a brushy sketch of the planet (Kirk was no artist, but he thought he did a fairly passable job), and where he could find the colors little patches to give an idea of what the planet looked like. Clearly he had been working on this for some time, a labor of love.

"I thought it might be nice, if you had a reference for some of the stories I tell," he murmured, waiting for his reaction.

"Yes, it's a game," Kirk beamed, giving Iskandar a last, slow roll of his hips before he slid off him to be able to set the box between them. "It's my favorite game from my home world."

He paused as he undid the clasps securing the box, as if suddenly unsure if this was something Iskandar would find amusement or pleasure in. The last thing Kirk wanted was to bore one of his lovers, but he had hoped that Iskdnar would appreciate this particular game. And, selfishly, that he would be good at it and give him a challenge.

"It's called Tri-Dimensional Chess," he explained, opening up the box to reveal a set of white and black pieces and three boards. "A strategy game."

Sitting up immediately, he crossed his legs so he could better look at what was being setup. Obviously he was looking very interested so far. Iskandar had such a love for games, having been one to purchase a video game and console just because it looked like fun. He was a giant warrior but within him beat the heart of a child as he planted his hands on his knees and leaned forward.

"Tri-Dimensional Chess. I like the sound of this! How does one play?"

Someone was loving his surprise.

Kirk took the two extra boards and set of silver poles, attaching them together so the boards stood one above the other, each board slightly smaller than the one beneath, the base being a traditional sized chess board. Quickly he set up the white and black pieces in their respective starting positions.

"I suppose I should ask first if you've ever played chess before," he watched Iskandar change position, a giddy little smile creeping onto his face, pleased with the bigger man's enthusiasm.

"I have not. Perhaps it is a game that came to be after my death." That seemed accurate enough. Much had happened after his death. But the setup of the board was fascinating and he watched as it grew until it had three levels. Amazing. Simply amazing.

"Is chess a more simplistic version?"

"Yes, I believe it did. But you might have had one similar," he agreed. "This version is more advanced than the original, as you thought. The original started with just this bottom board, but then these upper two were added for more complexity. Now, I guess I'll start with the basics -"

He took up the pieces and explained the rules to Iskandar and how each piece moved, occasionally letting his leg extend out to playfully touch against Iskandar's around the board.

"Right, you think you get it? I'll correct you as needed as we play, but I find it's better to learn through playing that listening to me lecture."

Seeing the leather of the journal has Sam smiling, fingers tracing the design embedded in the front. The smile fades slightly though out of surprise and confusion when he flips it open, having expected blank pages, save for perhaps a note on the first page. Instead he is greeted with colored orbs and text. It takes Sam a moment to realize that these are places Kirk has been.

A bit mystified by this, Sam slowly maneuvers himself so that he was sitting, eyes skimming the descriptions, and a few times just thumbing through the pages to see that the entire book was filled. "You did all this?" Obviously Jim had, but it was still amazing - when had he found time?

Arriving just in time to see Kirk chastise Atlas, Hermione couldn't help chuckling softly as she approached the pair of them. She highly doubted that he'd asked her here to watch him argue with a horse for the comedic value of it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't allow herself a laugh or two when she found something funny. After all, it wasn't nearly as common these days as it had been back home.

Not that she'd been allowing herself to think about that, of course.

"Well, it is the same color of straw," she joked softly, giving him a slight smirk. "You can hardly blame him, really, especially with your head so close to mouth-level for him."

For a moment, Kirk wondered if he had miscalculated the gift. He thought Sam would appreciate having a more visual reference for the places he talked about. But the expression softened and changed and his chest loosened, smiling softly as he watched Sam brush his fingers across ink and colors (more limited, considering cost, but he tried in places).

"Yeah," he chuckled, taking the book and flipping to the back, to a little circle of green and blue, the title "Earth" written across the top. "I thought - I wanted to share this part of my life with you. But I know the things I talk about can be hard to visualize, so...." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"So these are what planets look like?" Perhaps it was a strange question, but considering Sam had only seen the world from the ground and didn't think of places beyond the sky, it probably wasn't all that strange. Earth - that was the place Kirk and several of the others came from, wasn't it?

Taking the book back into his lap, Sam flips through the pages for a while, a bit quiet as he reads over details and bits of story. After a moment though Sam looks up with a raised brow. "No cat ladies?" The corner of his lip pulls upward as he asks.

"Yes. Planets and stars are round - spheres, actually. You just can't see it on the ground because you are - well, on the ground. You can glimpse the curve, though, if you ascend high enough, say on a mountain," he smiled, laughing at the cat comment.

He reached out to take the book and flipped through the pages til he found a particular planet, holding it out to Sam. "Here. This is where they come from," he smirked. What? You thought he had forgotten that story, Sam? Never.

Sure enough there was some text along with this planet that said 'where cat ladies are from'. Sam gives a snort at that, and shakes his head lightly. Not what he had meant but clever.

"I suppose the next book will be about the different people you've met?" Cause honestly he was curious to see how Kirk drew people now. After all he had mentioned drawing him plenty of times.

It had seemed prudent to include that particular planet after some of the conversations they'd had. He did still wish Sam could grow a tail, just for fun, but it wasn't anything that took away from his delight in his lover as he was.

"It can be, if you like," he gave a sort of half-shrug with one shoulder, reaching out to brush his fingers along his back idly, tracing the familiar groove. "I do sometimes wish I could introduce you to my crew. They would like you."

Hearing her laugh was worth the slobber in his hair. It felt like she did not laugh enough, especially not after the last mission they attended together, though the festival had seemed to bring back some joy to her. When there was even a little bit to laugh at, why not do so?

"No, I suppose not," he agreed, pushing away the giant's muzzle once again with an annoyed huff that spoke more of affection than irritation.

Giving his attention to Hermoine, he smiled and held up the bag. "Merry Christmas," he announced.

The look on Kirk's face when he said he could and then turned into a dog. Not what Kirk had in mind, but despite the pouting there had been some laughs for the technicality. Yeah, he wasn't growing a tail anytime soon.

There's a small hum in response to quietly saying that he would like to have a book like that, which trails off a bit at the soft touch of fingers along his back. "Only sometimes?" he asks, looking up from the book with an amused raised brow. "Because I don't have a tail?"

"No, because the other times you have my far to distracted to think about introducing you," he grinned, a particular gleam entering his eyes - one that Sam should know quite well with all their nights spent together.

"There is, actually, one other gift I got you," he said, pushing up from the bed again, but this time kneeling down to reach beneath the wooden frame. "Though it's really more for both of us." He pulled out a packaged wrapped in brown paper and a red ribbon. It was somewhat misshapen, but when he handed it over a quiet sound came from within, almost a jingling.

That would be because inside was a lovely, leather embossed collar - a rich, dark brown worked with a pattern of roses and thorns, and at the front a golden bell attacked. Nestled beneath the collar would be one other gift - a thin piece of lacy cloth, clearly an undergarment though it looked like it could do little to protect or provide modesty.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

SAMOUEL

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ISKANDAR

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HERMOINE

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