5 - All I want for Christmas

Theseus grinned back at Asterius, and vowed to kiss him breathless once more as soon as possible. Before that, he made sure that he would still come on the 30th along with his brother to meet his own parents.

And, after that, a beaming Carleen had to drag him out of the house after waving one last time at both her own boyfriend and his, and they were driving back home.

--

On the 30th, the boys were meant to arrive for dinner, since they were to sleep there anyway.
The Mishra's mansion was surely much bigger than their house, but they had still tried to keep it to a reasonable size. The domain and the gardens were, however, huge, and richly decorated, even for that time of the year.
There was also a closed front gate, and the butler - named Alfred, the one whom Carleen and Theseus often mentioned - welcomed both of the Laurkinsons through and interphone before he invited them to come and park their car in front of the house - saying he'd bring it into the garage once they'd be all settled in.

They were welcomed by Alfred himself at the door. He was an older man, close to retirement, with wrinkles around his eyes that told just how many times he smiled a day. He was dressed impeccably - Sakrish had insisted upon gifting him some tailored suits and uniforms over the years - and had a tiny moustache, that definitely made him look a little bit like Batman's Alfred in that amazing cartoon series.
"Welcome to the Mishra's household, gentlemen." He smiled at them. "You'll forgive me- I haven't warned sir Theseus and miss Carleen of your arrival yet. I was afraid the sir would jump out of his bedroom window to greet you."
It kind of sounded like he was joking, but then again, knowing Theseus, was he.

Horknath had passed the days following Christmas lovingly chatting with Carleen over the phone - sending dozens of little hearts and dying a little bit every time he received some in an answer.
He had also successfully managed to talk himself into believing that everything would have gone great at the Mishra's, and that there was no reason to be nervous whatsoever. Sure, he came from a common middle-class family, and Carleen's parents were well off instead, but he was positive there would be no judgement about that whatsoever, and- c'mon, just how rich could they be, am I right?

Right.

He walked at Asterius' side as they proceeded towards the main door down the pathway through the luxurious front garden, looking a little pale to be honest. "Asterius", he whispered through his teeth. "Asterius, I think I'm not feeling too sure about this anymore-" Asterius snorted, and soundly slapped his brother's shoulder, making him yelp. "Don't be stupid. It will be fine. It's just your girlfriend, my boyfriend, and their parents. The place doesn't count", he answered, looking nonchalant in front of the proof of the wealth their significant other's family actually possessed. Truth be told he was feeling a little nervous too.

Horknath took a deep breath, nodding more to himself than Asterius. "You're right. It's fine. It will be fine!" He straightened up when he saw the old man coming out of the door to greet him. Judging from how he was dressed, he guessed he was probably the head butler of the house. He pulled out the best smile he could. 
Asterius snorted softly. "We don't mind at all. That does seem like something Theseus would do", he answered with a little chuckle. "Thank you for welcoming us, sir", Horknath added, followed by his brother in this.

Alfred scoffed at Horknath's comment. "Please, sir. That's my job." He winked at him and invited both of them to enter the mansion, offering to take their coats right away. "I would take your bags as well, but I believe the sir and the miss will be more than happy to escort you to their own bedrooms. Speaking of which-" He raised an index and, if one listened carefully, there were hurried steps coming from upstairs.

When entering the mansion they arrived into a richly decorated lobby, with many paintings reminding of India - although the rest seemed rather modern. There were various doors and corridors around them, but in front of them were stairs covered with a clean, deep blue rug.

And, appearing just at the top of those stairs came Theseus running, who yelled "ASTERIUS!" Before he sat on the stairs' handrail and swiftly slid all the way down in the blink of an eye.
He was obviously used to pulling that stunt, since he jumped off just before he knocked off the small sculpture that decorated the end of that rail, only to dive into Asterius' arms with a laugh.

Still at the top of the stairs, Carleen was getting down with an excited grin as well, but. Using the stairs and her own two legs, thank you very much.

"Well, I'll leave you young people alone and go warn Mr. and Mrs Mishra that you've arrived," Alfred said with a smile, before he left with their coats, to leave them some privacy.

Asterius knew exactly what Theseus was going to do before he even sat on that handrail to slide all the way down.
And he had already tended and angled his arms to catch him mid-air, if it would have been necessary - which it was, of course. He scoffed a little at him, but couldn't hide his smile. "Hi, Theseus. Glad to see your way to greet me never changes, no matter where we meet", he joked.

Horknath embarrassingly thanked Alfred, even though now he wasn't sure when he should say thanks and when it would not be appropriate, damn why hadn't he brushed up some of his Regency-themed books to remind himself what was the proper countenance to keep in a butler's regards- But as soon as he saw Carleen coming down from the stairs, beaming at him like some princess coming to her escort ready to be taken to a ball, his heart skipped all of the beats possible, and he completely forgot about this awkwardness - just to fall back into his usual, love-struck one. "Hi, Carleen", he greeted her with a smile, offering her his hand to make the last steps down. "You're radiant." She always was.

Theseus laughed and wrapped his arms properly around Asterius's neck. "Glad to know you'll always catch me, Asterius." He leaned in to peck his lips softly, with a soft hum. Oh, how good it felt to be reunited with him once more! "I've missed you," he eventually breathed against his lips, before he grinned. "But I've been glad to see you've been using my gift!"

Carleen smiled fondly at Horknath and took his hand. What a gentleman he was! It was just enough to make her fall for him again anytime they met.
But he was right to call her radiant. She might have been home, but she was wearing one of the day dresses her father had designed for her - long and elegant, and of a beautiful royal blue.
"Hi, handsome," she greeted him back, biting briefly on her lips. She left him the leisure of kissing her, coming just close enough for him to do so.

Asterius' eyes fluttered closed and he let out a content hum when his boyfriend gently kissed his mouth. "I've missed you too", he murmured, looking fondly at Theseus and his brilliant, boyish grin. He glanced down at his watch for a brief second and smiled. "Ah - yes, I've been taking it out on all my morning runs. It's a very useful device", he added - even though the other main reason for which he wore it at all times was that it made him feel closer to Theseus even when he wasn't around.

Horknath's attention was caught by her gesture - and seeing her bite on her lips only made his desire to kiss her all more pressing. Besides, by now he knew that when she got close to him, looking at him in that way, it meant that she was possibly looking to be kissed, too. And he didn't need further invitation than that, so he leaned in and kissed her softly, chaste and sweet. "How have you been?", he asked then in a breath against her lips. Even though he added, chuckling, "during the last hour where we didn't text each other because I was driving, I mean."

Theseus kept on grinning. "Great! Great. I'm glad you like it. I can't wait for us to be able to use ours simultaneously!" He seemed to remember that he was up in his boyfriend's arms, for he finally made a move to get down. "Come, now, I'll show you my room, and then we'll get down to meet my parents."

Carleen chuckled too and gently pushed against his torso. "Believe it or not, I've missed you during the past hour. And I've been in my room tidying up a bit to make some space for your bag and stuff." She bit on her lips again. "Speaking of which... wanna get up quick? My parents are probably in the veranda, and that's like, on the other side of the house. We'll get there a little later."

Asterius hummed in agreement, and then let go of Theseus to allow him to get down from his perch in his arms - only to gently take a hold of his hand once he had picked up his bag. "I'm curious to see your room", he admitted nonchalantly. "Your parents' house feels as large as a castle. I feel like you'll show me an apartment, more than a room", he added, teasing him a little.

"Aw", Horknath let out, flushing a little - pleased that Carleen would miss him even in a such short amount of time. He smiled at her then, and picked up his bag. "Sure! Guide me", he added then, also automatically reaching to hold her hand.
Him and Asterius were different for sure, but in some little things it really showed that they were brothers.

Theseus laughed. "It's certainly smaller than the apartment I share with Carleen. And it doesn't have a kitchen- not that we use our own much anyway." He squeezed his boyfriend's hand in his and quickly went up the stairs, with the ease of someone who grew up in that house/mansion. He then took him down a corridor with many doors, and went to the last one there, that was already open - he hadn't bothered to close it.
Just like his room in his apartment, it was quite tidy, but it was indeed much, much bigger. He had a small living-room like area with a couch, a TV and a few dumbells neatly aligned on the right side. In front of them was a big bed, that would definitely be enough for Asterius to be comfortable when they'd have to lie down in it. And on the left was a desk with his laptop, and two doors - one of them leading to his dressing room and the other to a private bathroom.
And decorating most of the room were also some trophies, medals, pictures of Theseus and his family, or occasionally teammates.

Carleen smiled at Horknath and guided him up the stairs, towards the same corridor in which Theseus's room was, except that they stopped one door prior.
Her own room was equally as big as Theseus - again with a living-room-like area on one side. On the other, she had her desk, and a few sewing supplies, but not too much - her actual workshop was in another room. She too had two doors leading to her dressing room and her own bathroom, and had decorated the room with pictures of her families, and friends.
And, most recently, one of Horknath and her that sat on her bedside table.
Speaking of her bed, it was surrounded by a see-through set of curtain hanging directly from a rail in the ceiling.
Yes. She had a huge princess bed.

Asterius managed to keep his gaping for himself - that room might have been smaller than the apartment he shared with Carleen, as Theseus said, granted, but for being a bedroom for one person? It was huge. As soon as he had managed to get a hold of himself, his attention was caught first by the pictures hanging around and scattered throughout the room - and second by the glimmer of the trophies and medals on proud display.
"It's a nice room. You might have more prizes than I have", he complimented his boyfriend, walking inside to look a little closer at the place. He stopped to look at the medals - and briefly took notice of the fact that the bed was definitely big enough for the both of them, and looked sturdy enough to sustain him. He held back a smile before turning to look at Theseus again. "Where should I put my bag?"

Horknath, on the other hand, was unable to keep his awe to himself. "This room is so - spacious", he commented awkwardly as he tried to sneak a curious glance around. He smiled when he noticed the sewing gear on the desk, and smiled even more when he saw that, just like in her room back at her apartment, the place was filled with memories of her friends and relatives. It was a nice touch, and it showed just how much well-liked was Carleen.
He turned to look at her with a grin. "My sister would have thrown a tantrum for a bed like that", he said, only half-joking. "And I think she would throw a tantrum now as well-" His gaze fell on the picture on the bedside table and he suddenly lost his words, his cheeks flushing pleasantly as he recognized himself next to Carleen in a picture that they had taken on one of their dates. "You put it on your bedside table", he murmured, feeling even more flustered. "That's... very nice."

"Really? Well, I guess we did come to the conclusions that I've tried out more sports than you did, so that might explain it", he said with a grin, before he went to open the smaller door on the left side. "If you have any bathroom supplies you may leave them here already- as for the rest, you can leave it near the couch, the bed, or inside the dressing-room. Whichever you feel more comfortable with."
The bathroom only had a shower, a sink and a toilet - thankfully no tub. They had a hot tub somewhere on that floor however - and it was filled with hair and skin care products, let's be honest. Anyone who didn't know Theseus well enough might have been unsettled by the sight.
Theseus didn't pay attention to the inside of the bathroom yet, and was busy looking at something on his phone that had just buzzed in his pocket. So he failed to notice he had left the bleach and dye he used to get his hair of a perfect blonde by the sink, un plain sight.
Of course he had just re-done the color on that same morning, knowing that Asterius was coming.

Carleen's smile grew more shy. She knew people tended to think of her room as big, and it made her feel weird sometimes, because it had occasionally put some distance with some friends in the past.
But we were talking about Horknath and Aria, so she just chuckled. "Aria came once, but I hadn't gotten the curtain yet I think. It's a recent addition." She felt herself flush a little when he saw that picture, and she nodded. "I love it. It- allows me to see you first thing in the morning" she smiled at him.

Asterius hummed distractly and stepped inside the bathroom, opening his bag, ready to leave his toothbrush and bath products on the sink or next to it. As he carefully settled his set for horn-care on a shelf, well closed of course (he had added his magenta-colored nail polish to his cleaning, brushing, and sharpening products, secretly hoping that Theseus would like to paint his horns), his attention was caught by the bleach and blond dye just at the side of the sink. He curiously picked one of them up, raising his brows in surprise. So Theseus wasn't a natural blonde? Huh. He would've never guessed - nor had he never noticed. ... then again. He could've only have guessed if he had taken a good look to his boyfriend's body hair - and he hadn't seen him naked yet since they had started dating. Of course he had avoided staring before then, even as they showered side to side.

Horknath stuttered and his cheeks grew even warmer and darker than before - a real feat, I know. "That- might be the cutest thing someone has ever told me", he admitted then in a low voice as soon as he was able to articulate a word again, looking embarrassed - but smiling shyly at her. He extracted his phone, and showed her that both his background and lockscreen was a picture he had taken of them together - a different one, but he thought that Carleen looked especially pretty on it.

Theseus, still in his room, was smiling and typing on his phone. "My parents are waiting for us downstairs. Shall we go back? We can catch Carleen and Horknath on our way down," he said distractedly to his boyfriend, before he looked inside the bathroom.
It took him a few seconds to recognize what Asterius had in his hands, and his eyes widened just a bit, before he closed the distance between them, clearing his throat awkwardly. Alright. That wasn't planned. That was way too soon for Asterius to know and he hadn't prepared a speech or anything to tell him casually 'haha no I'm not a natural blonde but I sure wish I were'.
He took the bottle from his hands and blurted out, awkwardly, and with a forced smile, "how about we get down!" Oh no, his whole face was on fire now. That was so embarrassing.

Carleen smiled widely. "I see someone else likes to see us together as often as I do," she said, pulling out her phone as well to show her both a picture of the both of them and one with just him, that she had managed to get from one of his rugby trainings. She too was blushing, honestly. And she held back a soft chuckle and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him softly, completely smitten.

Asterius blinked, surprised at how quickly Theseus had ripped the bottle away from his hands - but then again, he shouldn't have been surprised, he knew perfectly well how he excelled at being generally faster than him. When he turned to stare interrogatively at Theseus, eyebrow raised in question, he took notice of the redness on his cheeks and the tension in his smile. Cute, he thought immediately, before tilting his head. "Are you embarrassed? You don't need to be", he murmured gently, turning towards him. "I was bound to know, sooner or later. And it doesn't make you any less handsome in my eyes." He patiently waited for Theseus to either answer to him or guide him downstairs, to meet his parents.

Horknath chuckled, scratching the back of his neck in an embarrassed way. "I like to remind myself that I am the luckiest man around and that I have an amazing girlfriend", he answered - before finding himself busy kissing Carleen back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, sighing lovingly against her soft lips.

Theseus didn't know what to answer. In the end, he sighed, and put the bottle back on the sink. "You're right. You were bound to know, I just-" He took in a deep breath, and scoffed. "That took me off guard. Only my family knows about that. I was about to tell you! I was simply- looking for the right moment. Not that I needed to prepare you to it in any way-" Yes, he was flustered. And embarrassed still.

Carleen chuckled softly against his lips. "You know- you didn't just seduce me with your luck alone," she kindly teased him. "I fell for you whole. And I wouldn't trade you for anyone else."  She smiled fondly at him, and kept her hands on his shoulders for a bit. "I love you so much."

Asterius hummed, honestly finding a strange joy in seeing Theseus getting flustered at the unexpected. 
Maybe he wanted to keep seeing him like that for a little longer.
"I think I was bound to notice very soon", he remarked casually, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We shower close together in University", he observed, his voice rumbling lower. "Now that I can allow myself to look at you, I-" He paused. "Unless you bleach all your hair-"

Horknath beamed, and kissed her once again. "I fall in love with you all over every time I see you and you talk", he sighed, looking at her lovingly - hopelessly drawn to her. His eyes flickered towards her usual, rebellious strand of hair, and he carefully tucked it back into place, like he always did.

Theseus scoffed. "Of course I don't ! That'd be irresponsible, and-" And he paused. And flushed. "You. You'd watch me closely when we take our shower," he 'whispered', wetting his lips a little hesitantly. "With our teammates nearby?" Oh. Oh, that thought made him warm, and his face warmer. He bumped against the basket of laundry by the door on his way out, chuckling awkwardly. "I. Well! Indeed, you'd have noticed. I'm- not too fond of my natural hair color, it's quite dull," he confessed, hoping it'd finally kill his fluster.

Carleen smiled shyly, especially when Horknath tucked that strand of loose hair behind her ear again. There was something in the way he did it that made her feel all warm inside. "You've read too many good romance books. Your lines are flawless," she finally said, with a soft chuckle. Oh, but she loved to hear him say those sweet words to her.

Asterius let out a little chuckle. Cute. Cute, cute, cute. "I've never exactly hidden that I find you very attractive. Our teammates wouldn't notice, if I look at you more than usual", he said, taking a step towards him to exit the bathroom as well. "But you can do whatever you wish with your hair color. I really don't mind - and I don't judge."

"I mean every single word. Everytime", Horknath answered with a gentle smile. He kissed her on the cheek and finally straightened up a little bit. "But I think I'm going to pick you up everytime I want to kiss you from now on", he added, a little teasingly.

Theseus finally felt a little better. He had been slightly preening when he heard that Asterius found him attractive, and liked to look at him, but- the fact that he knew he wouldn't be judged did make him feel better. "Well, then! In that case, yes. I bleach it and dye it to make sure it looks sort of natural. I use a lot of hair care products to keep it soft, though, for I know it's not too good for it." He ran a hand through his hair. And he'd have gone on rambling for a bit, forgetting that his parents were waiting for them downstairs.

Carleen downright laughed this time, and gently pushed against his torso. "I know I don't have heels on because we're in my home, but I'm not that short! Though if you wish to carry me up like a princess, who am I to say no?" She was merely intending on teasing him back a little, not to challenge him. Not really. Alright, maybe a little.

Asterius hummed. "You've fooled me. And you do have very soft hair", he answered with a little smile, before glancing at the door - he knew perfectly well how long and convoluted his boyfriend's speeches could get sometimes, so he thought it better to interrupt it. Still politely, of course. "But, Theseus - aren't your parents waiting for us downstairs?", he asked.

"Oh - well then", Horknath exclaimed after a second of stunned silence, briefly squatting to lift her up - picking her and holding her exactly like a princess. "Don't mind if I do", he added with a goofy grin. Well, she weighed nothing to him! It was not a chore at all. He could be doing this for days!

"They are! You're right, Asterius, as always." Theseus grinned at him, his confidence found back, and took his boyfriend's hand in his own. "Let us join them. I cannot wait to introduce you to them, at last!" He got out of his room, and knocked on Carleen's door.

Carleen let out a surprised yelp but she ended up laughing heartily, and wrapped her arms around Horknath's neck for balance. "Oh, you!" She kissed his nose, still giggling. "You lift me up as if I weighted nothing-" She paused, however, and sighed a little when she heard a knocking on the door. And saw that her brother didn't even wait for her to answer before opening said door.

"Come on, you two, we've kept our parents waiting for long already!" He exclaimed, not noticing that he was, once more, kind of ruining the moment. But Carleen let out a soft smile, and looked down at Horknath again. "Well. I guess we'll have to resume later."

Asterius shot an apologetic glance at both Carleen and Horknath. To him, at least, it was pretty clear that they had stepped in and ruined a nice moment - while Theseus was seemingly oblivious everytime that happened.

Horknath threw a little smile at his brother and carefully settled Carleen down. "We will", he reassured her with a smile. He offered her his hand, and waited for them to, at last, bring them to the place where their parents were.

Thankfully, Carleen knew her brother well enough not to snap about these kinds of things anymore. Well. She had complained about it a lot during their teenage years, but she had eventually understood that there was never anything malevolent behind his lack of respect for privacy.
She squeezed Horknath's hand in hers and threw him a smile. "Alright, then! Let's go!"

They all went downstairs againnand further into the house. Carleen stopped eventually to indicate the family's dining room, where they'd have dinner, and then Theseus lead the way into the veranda, that was a huge glass room with a view on their back garden. It was already night by then, but the garden was illuminated for the view.
The inside was filled with many well-cared for exotic plants, that were probably placed outside during Summer. There were a few armchairs and couches in the middle of the room, and Sakrish and his wife had been chatting quietly on one of them before they all came in.
They stood up to greet them. Sakrish was beaming, and he looked just as elegant as when Asterius had met him back at the clinic, but he looked almost dull next to his wife, who was looking like a gorgeous actress dressed up for a gala, in her long dress that matched Carleen's.

"Mom, dad, this is my boyfriend, Asterius!" Theseus announced proudly, moving forward first, his chest puffed with pride.
Sakrish held back a smile when he offered his hand to Asterius. "Nice to meet you again, under different circumstances. Allow me to introduce my wife, Ashanti."
She too offered her hand to him with a calm smile. She was much quieter than her husband, but no less kind. Except in Court.

As Horknath got lost admiring the veranda - oh, this whole place was just magnificent, and it looked like it came straight out of one of his favorite books - Asterius smiled back at Sakrish. "I think I prefer this occasion for a meeting rather than the first one", he observed with a little nod as he shook his hand. He felt kind of intimidated by how blindingly elegant Ashanti looked, but fought against it and gently held her hand, hesitating for a second - should he kiss it? Was it out of place? He had no idea, his mother just straight up smooched on the cheeks literally anyone she met - before he brought her hand up, without kissing it. "Madam, it's a pleasure."

Horknath didn't show it too much, but if his beaming expression was any indication, Asterius had been a perfect gentleman. You never kiss the hand of a woman you don't know, it's improper!
... at least that was what he had learned from Pride and Prejudice.

Ashanti let out a smile, and threw a glance at her son. "He's got more manners than you, Harshad. I like him." She chose to tease her son in hindi only in front of his boyfriend - for now. She still had to find out what kind of person he was before she did so openly.
Theseus scoffed a slightly offended "Maan", but before he could say anything else his mother went on, "The pleasure is mine. I've heard a lot about you."

Let's be honest, Carleen highly suspected that Horknath was sort of to thank for Asterius' perfect gentlemanly attitude. And she felt even more proud when her parents looked expectantly at her, and she could introduce her own boyfriend. "Mom, dad, this is Horknath. My own boyfriend." Oh, she felt herself flush pleasantly at the thought! "Horknath, those are my parents, Ashanti and Sakrish."

Again, Sakrish was the first to offer his hand, beaming. "You're both quite tall boys, aren't you-"
"They aren't there to model for you," Ashanti kindly warned her husband with a smile.