5 - All I want for Christmas

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE THE 1ST OF JANUARY, THAT MEANS I CAN KEEP ON SINGING THAT SONG FOR 360 DAYS NOW HAHAHA

On the 22th of December, Carleen was patiently waiting for Horknath at her apartment, for their last-minute shopping. She was a little giddy and restless, but she had learned over time to be more relaxed about meeting up with her perfect boyfriend, so she hadn't overdone it. She just looked cute as per her usual, of course.

Truth be told, she was also hoping that this day would serve as an excuse for them to spend a little time alone, perhaps at Horknath's place, given that Asterius was supposed to come over at their own to give his car keys back to Theseus - and knowing her brother, he would keep him there for as long as he could.

Now, she wasn't expecting anything in particular to happen. But she still put some lingerie on, for luck. You never know.

If there was someone who was hoping for something to happen, though, it would have been her brother, who had tidied up his whole room - and the living-room - more than usual, with the intent of making out with Asterius for the whole afternoon. His nose was still healing, but he was fairly sure they could share soft kisses. And if it hurt, well, he'd just have to take small breaks!

*INHALES* -IS YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHH-


Horknath, after all these weeks, still felt his heart beat a little too fast at the thought of meeting with Carleen - but he was slowly growing more relaxed about it all, too. He was no longer the terribly nervous mess that he was during their very first dates at the very least - just a bumbling, awkward boy.
He doubted he could do better than that.
All this just to say he also hadn't overdone it for the day, opting to be casual and kind of comfortable.

He and Asterius arrived together with Theseus' car - the shops that he needed to visit with Carleen were all in the vicinity anyway, and even if they weren't all that close, well. He did like the thought of being able to take a longer stroll with her, holding hands like a happy couple.

Asterius, on the other hand, did feel a little bit nervous seeing as since the day Theseus had his surgery they hadn't really had the occasion to see each other alone. But, he thought as he knocked on the door with Horknath at his side, this couldn't be all that different from what they had before, right? Of course, maybe Theseus would've wanted to kiss - and he was definitely going to comply - but knowing him he would have probably gotten excited about doing sports together in his sports room. Right?

Carleen was the one who opened the door, and she beamed at the both of them, greeting them and inviting them inside for the time it could take her to retrieve her purse. "Thee is in his room, you probably can meet him there right away, Asterius," she told him, while she walked closer to Horknath to finally take his hand in hers. She was still a little shy about kissing him in front of people they knew - but it would all get better soon, hopefully. After all, she intended on telling Theseus about the two of them on that very evening.

Speaking of Theseus, there was a little bit of noise that could be heard from his room - he had been busy trying to fit his laundry basket inside his closet, and he had cursed when it had spilled on the floor. After fumbling a bit with everything, he had finally closed his closet door shut close, quick, before Asterius got there-

Asterius thanked her and politely walked away as he noticed his brother's fluster.
Yes, because from the way Horknath still flushed whenever she took his hand it was clear he had nothing against the fact that they still hadn't shared kisses in front of people they knew until now. He smiled at her though, and entwined his fingers with hers. "Ready to go?", he asked gently, leaning in to gently swipe the usual, rebellious lock of hair that always ended up escaping her ponytail behind her ear.

"... what are you doing?" Asterius was standing on the doorway to Theseus' bedroom, an amused expression on his face as he watched him struggle to shut his closet for good. His eyes took in the stray pair of socks that were laying guiltily on the floor just next to Theseus' feet. "Do you need a hand?"

Carleen smiled shyly in response - that soft, usual gesture never failed to make her heart beat just a littler harder in her chest. "Yes. Let's go." She gently squeezed Horknath's hands in hers, and waited until they were alone in the elevator to get closer to him, since that's usually where they shared their first kiss of the day before heading out.

"No! No, everything is under control," Theseus replied, while kicking those rogue socks under his bed. He beamed at Asterius, and immediately moved closer to him - he had paid attention to his appearance that day, although he had gone for a casual look. He still wore his nose cast, however, so when he gently cupped Asterius' cheeks to guide him down, he had to tilt his head a little awkwardly for a soft, gentle and chaste kiss.

Horknath took a deep breath when Carleen shifted at his side to be closer to him - and as soon as the elevator doors closed, he gingerly cleared his throat and turned towards her, carefully leaning in to softly kiss her on the lips. Well, shy or not, he did love to kiss her, and would have never given up on their usual elevator kiss for anything in the world.

Asterius blinked when Theseus guided him down to meet his lips in an awkwardly-angled kiss - but it was so gentle, so soft that he couldn't not smile. He carefully cupped his cheeks and, just as mindful of the nose cast, kissed him back, gently running his thumbs over his skin.
He'd have been a liar if he said he hadn't been looking forward to this.

Carleen held back a soft chuckle against Horknath's lips and lovingly kissed him back until their short elevator trip ended. "Hey. I know it's only been a few days, but I've missed you." She squeezed his hands in hers once more, and walked out of the building with him, never letting go of his hand.
After all, she was only keeping their relationship secret from Theseus from now on. She had already told her parents about him - it was only a matter of time before she brought Horknath home.

Theseus had to break the kiss first - much to his dismay - because the position strained him a little, but he still grinned at his boyfriend. "Hello Asterius. How have you been these past few days?" He guided him towards his bed, where he invited him to sit down.
And, let's be real, as soon as he'd get him to do so, he would basically straddle his lap, with his arms around his neck.

Horknath sighed when she broke their kiss, but smiled sheepishly down at her, holding her hand in his as they walked away from the building. "I've missed you too", he answered softly. "Thankfully we can still text if we aren't seeing each other, but... I wish I could see you more often." Every day, possibly. He shushed that thought away, embarrassed. It would have been a bit much, considering that they both had friends and a pretty busy schedule! "How have you been?"

Asterius smiled softly down at him. Theseus' grins would never cease to make him feel at peace - they were so bright. He could look at him smiling for hours. "I've been alright", he answered in a low voice, letting Theseus lead him away from the doorway. "It's been busy - had to do some runs through shops to get all the presents I needed."
When his boyfriend plopped down on his lap, though, his ears flicked up in surprise, and he raised a brow at him. "Comfortable?", he asked, sounding way calmer than he actually was.

"Fine. I've been tidying the apartment a bit, since we're getting home tomorrow," Carleen replied with a smile. "I've finished the dress I'd like to wear on the 25th when I meet your family, too. How about you?"

"Christmas sure sounds like a lot of stress for you all," Theseus replied distractedly, before he grinned at his boyfriend "I could be more comfortable if you lied down, but that should be enough for now." He laid a soft kiss on Asterius' snout, and gently ran his hands through his hair, while he tried to kiss him again.

"Oh! That's right, you go back at your parents' place", Horknath exclaimed, recalling that Carleen had mentioned that to him. He suddenly flushed, then. "You really made yourself a dress from scratch to meet my parents?" For some reason, the thought made him feel warm, and oddly pleased. "I've been alright. Mostly looking for the last couple of gifts, and updating the blog."

Asterius snorted. "Not stressful at all. I enjoy looking for gifts", he countered, before rolling his eyes a little at the cheeky remark Theseus made about his sitting position. But before he had the time to comment over that too, he found his boyfriend's lips leaving a gentle kiss on his snout - which made him feel all warm inside, it was such a tender gesture - and then again looking for his own lips. He did allow him to do that, turning his head a little to make things easier and possibly less painful for him. He rested one of his hands over Theseus' back, running it soothingly along his spine. His other hand found his soft, carefully styled hair, and he buried his fingers in it - still as delicate as he could be.

Carleen beamed at Horknath. "Oh yes, I've seen the update! Great article, as always." She kept on smiling and fished for her phone, to show Horknath the cute cute long-sleeved dress and red jacket she had tried on for the big day. There was a small, cute reindeer on it. Because. Christmas.

Theseus kept on happily kissing Asterius for a while - he'd have loved to kiss him deeper, but these chaste kisses would have to do for now - before he pulled away. While running his hands into his boyfriend's hair he had reached the base of his horns and brushed slightly against his ears, but there were still many things he needed to know about him. "Asterius, tell me - where may I touch you when we kiss?"

Horknath flushed slightly, but he looked a little proud of himself. "Thank you. And- thank you for commenting it. It was very insightful", he added, before getting distracted by the photos Carleen was showing to him on her phone. He smiled when he spotted the little reindeer on the jacket. "Impeccable job as always", he observed softly, mirroring her words. "You look very cute." He bit his lower lip, and slowly guided their joined hands in the large, empty pocket of his coat. It was cold outside, that way at least her fingers wouldn't get frozen.

Asterius sighed, instinctively leaning into Theseus' touch. He seemed to reflect on his question, though, and looked carefully at him. "When we kiss, you may touch me wherever you like", he answered in a murmur, leaning in to gently nuzzle against his boyfriend's neck - mindful of the coldness of his nose ring against the skin. "I'm ticklish behind my ears, but I don't mind being scratched. My horns aren't really sensitive, you can grasp them without fear." He paused. "Except the base." The base was sensitive. He looked up at him again, large hands settling on his back. "And I, where may I touch you when we kiss, Theseus?"

Carleen flushed pleasantly when Horknath complimented her back, and bit on her lower lip when he took her hand in his pocket with his. Oh, this was just so sweet, she could melt on the spot! "I need to step up my game, to out-cute my boyfriend," she replied on a cheeky tone, as she leaned slightly into his side.

Theseus had been grinning since Asterius replied to him, running his hands into his hair and over his horns for a bit - while avoiding their base -, before he tilted his head. "Oh, you may touch me anywhere. Except my nose at the moment, I suppose." He smiled to himself, leaning forward so that he could whisper into his ear, "Feel free to grab my hair, though." His own touches weren't exclusively gentle either. There was something in the way he ran his fingers on Asterius' scap or on his skin that was rather greedy. Not necessarily sinful, but with just enough pressure to let his boyfriend know just how much he craved their closeness.

Horknath let out a couple of flustered, choked noises at being called 'cute'. "A-as if you need to work hard to look cuter than me", he protested. "You've already won that contest, there's no need- if you step up your game I might get a heart attack", he added, protesting jokingly. He happily squeezed her hand, though - because he wasn't half as agitated as he would have been normally. "Oh - I should probably tell you that my mom is... all too excited about you coming over for Christmas. She might be all over you for a little bit", he added on a second thought, suddenly remembering how much his mother had squealed about him having such a cute girlfriend.

Asterius suppressed a shiver, closing his eyes for a moment when Theseus' warm breath tickled his ear (that flicked upwards a little, in interest), his words sounding definitely sinful. He took a deep, calming breath. "If that's alright with you. I was just trying not to dishevel you too much", he simply grumbled back in his ear, one of his hands making its way up to rest gently on the back of his boyfriend's neck. "You can do the same, if you wish." He tangled his fingers in Theseus' locks, experimentally - not pulling, just gently scratching on the skin underneath.

Carleen chuckled through Horknath's protestations. No, really, he was downright adorable, and she loved him with her whole heart.
She smiled at him when he mentioned her mother's excitement to meet her. "Don't worry, I won't mind. Besides-" She cleared her throat. "My parents would like to meet you sometimes during these holidays too, if you're free. And I'll have to warn you beforehand; my dad will probably pester you a lot. He's already tried to recruit Asterius as a model from what I've heard."

Theseus hummed. "Never fear about my looks, Asterius. I strive to look perfect under others' gaze. Under yours? I wouldn't shy away from looking positively disheveled." He grinned at his boyfriend and resumed to kissing him, while he ran his hands into his long locks again, fingers tightening here and there. And if Asterius' touches on his scalp became a little more firm, he definitely wouldn't hold back a moan, shameless as he was.

'Ah, agitation, my old friend, here you've come back.' Horknath seemed to grow a bit more nervous under the knowledge that Carleen's parents wanted to meet him. He briefly wondered what kind of people they could be, and what impression they'd get of him, before managing to settle down a bit. After all, they were Carleen's parents. They would definitely be nice people. "Oh - of course. Aside from Christmas I'm otherwise free. Whenever you want", he added,  looking a little flustered. He chuckled, though. "Ah - yeah, Asterius told me that. Your father asked him how tall he was and slipped a business card at him."

Asterius chuckled. Theseus was always so theatrical in his declarations - but he loved it, honestly. "As you wish then", he answered in like, kissing him back when their lips met once again. His fingers did wander a little bit further up to get a firmer grip on his hair - and even though he had promised himself to not be too rough, he did pull sometimes, here and there. As his boyfriend moaned, though, he felt himself flush.
Of course. He should've imagined that Theseus would be just as vocal about what pleased him as he was in everything else.
He pulled more on his hair to make him tilt his head back wards, and to gently nuzzle against his bared neck. He took advantage of this to leave some harder kisses, since for now he could only just peck his lips because of the nose cast. He was soon back to his lips though, kissing him softly and carefully, contrasting with the previous roughness.

Carleen chuckled and rolled her eyes. "He's terrible. He kept telling me that no, he didn't give him his professional number." She smiled at Horknath, and gently squeezed his hand. "Hey. If it makes you nervous, we can delay it. Or-" Her face lit up. "Or. I make it less awkward for you and organize a party with all of my friends on New Year's Eve. That way you won't be stuck with my parents only for your whole stay!

Theseus indeed was quite vocal about his preferences. When Asterius kissed his neck he let out a throaty moan, and tightened his hand in his hair. He even chuckled softly during their new kiss, caressing Asterius' cheek before he had to pull back, a little breathless. He was aching to deepen their kisses, but his facial muscles were strained. "We'll have to pause for a bit," he said reluctantly, his voice a little hoarse. He hated that they had to - never before had he felt this way about kissing anyone. It stirred a pleasant warmth in his guts, and got him addicted to the feeling of Asterius' lips against his own.

Horknath's gaze softened. Carleen was always so thoughtful in his regards - even when he looked mildly nervous about anything, she was always looking to soothe him and suggest something else. He loved her so much. "I'm more than alright with meeting your parents, don't worry", he reassured her with a smile, leaning down to brush his lips against her forehead. "But a New Year party sounds fun. We could definitely organize something."

Asterius had inhaled sharply when Theseus' hand had tightened in his mane. He might not be extremely partial about his hair being pulled like Theseus seemed to be, but he did enjoy it. He sighed a little when his boyfriend broke their kiss, and opened his eyes to carefully look at him. "Of course", he murmured, cupping his cheeks with both his hands. "Are you hurt?" Even though he perfectly understood what Theseus had meant back then when he had boastfully told him that he would've kissed him for hours - he felt the exact same burning drive, especially right now - his comfort was still the number one priority.

Carleen beamed. "Oh! Then- How about both? You could come over to meet my parents on the 30th, and then we invite both your friends and mine on New Year's Eve! That way I can finally introduce us to everyone, and you can do the same on your side." She was grinning by now. Oh, she could finally introduce him properly to Selena and Charlie then!

Theseus scoffed. "Hurt!" He remained gentle, however, loving the way Asterius cupped his cheeks. He brought one of his hands - the one that had been tangled into his hair - back on his torso, while he caressed Asterius' cheek with hi other thumb. "It's just a strain, you needn't worry about it."

Horknath beamed right back at her. "Sure! That's a nice idea", he agreed. Well, Carleen knew basically all his friends by now - and he wasn't so sure that Michela would have accepted to come to a party of all things, but who knows - but it would have been a good occasion to get together and make new friends anyway!

Asterius snorted softly, turning a little bit to nuzzle against Theseus' hand. "Alright." He kissed his palm. "Maybe we can take a pause from our. Uhm. Canoodling, and we can get something to drink in the kitchen. Or we can visit your sports room, if you feel like it." He found that particular word very amusing, and used it in a fond way - as Theseus had more than once referred to kissing as that.

Carleen smiled at Horknath, and then chatted about various other things with him - their last classes, the party they had gone to together the week-end before, their siblings, and so on.
And I'd like to suggest that they found quickly what they wanted to buy, and would have liked to spend their remaining time spending some time together out, but all places being crowded, Carleen eventually sighed and turned towards Horknath. "I guess there's nowhere we can go out there to make this a date, then."

Theseus smiled. He didn't point out the choice of words - after all, he was the one constantly talking about canoodling - and instead thought about it. "Mh... Although I hate to admit it, sports might be troublesome for me. Not sports itself, rather the shower I need to take afterwards, because of my cast. But I suppose we could go for a drink." He smiled at Asterius once more, and eventually stood up from his lap. "But if you want to use my appliances, I won't stop you."

Horknath seemed quite bummed about it as well. "I was kind of hoping to be able to get a seat in a café somewhere", he muttered, squinting inside the umpteenth bar just for his shoulders to slump in defeat when he couldn't spot not even a single empty spot. It almost looked like everyone had decided that this was the perfect day to get out! Suddenly though he perked up again, as if something had just come to his mind. "Oh! I know", he exclaimed, turning towards Carleen with a bright smile. "We can go to my place, if you want. We have tea and coffee back there, we can drink something warm and. Well, have a little time by our own", he added, his voice faltering a little with embarrassment as he realized how brash his suggestion sounded.

Asterius shook his head, standing up from Theseus' bed. "It wouldn't make sense on my own. What would you do in the meantime? Just watch?", he asked, as if that was just absurd. He honestly hoped that his boyfriend's nose would heal soon - on that day, he'd sweep him off his feet, and truly kiss him until neither of them had breath to spare anymore.

Carleen let out a smile that was shy at first, but grew more confident over the seconds. "You know what? I'd love that." She raised on her tiptoes to kiss Horknath's cheek. "Let's get to your place, and have that little privacy after a warm drink."

"And what a sight it would be," Theseus replied with a grin before he walked towards his kitchen. "What would you like? Something warm or not? I've got beer, tea, coffee, you name it." He was already taking out some tea for himself - he had been raised in a household in which every excuse was good to make some fruity tea, after all.

Horknath gulped nervously, but still nodded, offering her a kind smile. "Great! Alright, then. Let's go", he murmured, more to himself than to her, let's be honest. 
Then again - what reason did he have to feel agitated? It wasn't the first time he and Carleen would be alone somewhere. True, it had never happened in one of their apartments before, but. It wasn't as if anything at all had to happen - right?
Aside from some smooching, maybe. He'd like that.
He gently squeezed her hand, still safely tucked away in his pocket, as he walked her back to the buolding where he lived. It wasn't a long walk, and soon he was opening the door to his place - and fending off Spike from trying to get pets as soon as he had set foot inside the apartment.
"Spike, let me put down this stuff first", he reproached him weakly as he carried away the gifts and things he had bought with Carleen to put them in a safe place. "What would you like to drink? We have... tea, ready-to-make hot cocoa, and probably some beers", he said out loud from the kitchen.
Because Carleen had probably stayed in the back to scratch Spike.

"Tea will be fine", Asterius replied as he sat at the kitchen table, tail swaying lightly as he observed Theseus move around the place to fetch what he needed. It was a totally involuntary movement - but, even the moment he realized it, he just couldn't stop it from happening. He thought back to his boyfriend's words, though, and held back a smirk. "Well. Maybe you could help me with the weights afterwards, then", he teased him lightly, resting his arms on the table.

Carleen was a little nervous too - but not in the bad sense of the way. Not, she was a little thrilled about the prospect of exploring that new aspect of her relationship with Horknath, who she loved and trusted more than ever by now.
All nervousness was forgotten the moment she spotted Spike, though, and she definitely stayed behind for a bit to scratch the dog's belly while cooing at him. "I'll have hot cocoa," she shouted back at Horknath with a grin. Eh, she was already drinking enough tea at home, and she felt like having something a little sugary that wouldn't send her running to the bathroom in half an hour.

Theseus threw a smile at his boyfriend. "Sure thing. I'll help you adjust the bench to your frame, Asterius." He set the water to boil and came back with a huge tea box, to have Asterius pick one. "You know, my offer for you to come by anytime you'd like to train rather than going to the gym still stands. Especially starting in January, when I'll be able to train alongside you once more!"