❝ Snowflakes swirl down gently ❞

[no1likeme]

{ in the deep blue haze beyond the window }
choose a character • leave a starter/prompt • link images or videos

November/December/January holiday post. Here are some ideas:

• snow: first snow of the season/ever, making snowpeople, forts, or snow angels, snowball fights, snowed in
• warm: hot drinks, warm blankets, crackling fires, busting out the winter coats and socks, baking in a cozy kitchen
• holidays: decorating, picking out a tree, preparing the big holiday meal, exchanging gifts
• activities: shopping, cooking, sledding, ice skating, cuddling with someone special
• new year: par-tay!, toast, countdown, midnight kiss

Comments

@callidus

[grindr]

It probably isn't the first time for either of them in Paris. It might not even be their first time in Paris together. But whatever came before was just a spot of fun. A whirlwind weekend because they had the time and inclination (and time off from school). This time has the weight of all their history and Seung's efforts to do and be better.

Sure, whisking Jay away to Paris to stay in a high-end hotel with gorgeous views of the city from the Seine is easy. Either of them could do it on a whim. That's just the kind of life they lead. But Seung is determined to make this romantic, not just another fuck-fest in an exotic location. There are no exclusive parties to ring in the new year. No, Seung treated Jay out for dinner, held his hand on a boat ride down the Seine.

Now they're walking back to their hotel, past a late-night cafe with live music pouring out onto the street. Seung pauses, thinking back to the night they met. Holding a hand out to Jay, he smiles fondly. "Dance with me."

[callidus]

It's definitely not their first time in Paris, but it's probably their first time seeing much of it. Jay doesn't really remember seeing much of any place they went to. Usually the airport to the hotel, maybe a few restaurants or parties they could find with locals. Mostly the inside of the hotel room. They'd even give up on restaurants after a while. Room service and fucking. Flying to different countries to do exactly what they could've done in Japan.

They always went with good intentions.

They went with the intentions of doing what they're actually doing in Paris this time. Seeing some of the city. Going out to dinner. Going out on dates. Finally going out on dates after having sex for years. It feels strange, honestly, to have a nice time together with their clothes on. Jay's also not entirely sure he trusts it. He's waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's waiting for Seung to abandon him in Paris or something. Sabotage this whole thing in some way. He's worried about really giving in and probably enjoying himself.

Yet he returns that fond smile. He smiles toward the cafe with the music playing, and then toward Seung, reaching out to take his hand. "I thought you'd never ask."

[grindr]

Jay's right to feel that way. Seung wishes he could take that away; he can only imagine how it feels. IS Jay stuck in a feeling like he's holding his breath, just waiting for the ground to fall out beneath him (again)? How can he not when they were having fun before and then it was suddenly over? How can he not wonder if that will happen again? How many years will it really take for that fear to go away? Will it ever?

They always went places with good intentions and ended up too distracted with fucking to follow-up on their plans. So, this trip has multiple purposes: celebrate the new year, finally see some of Paris, and for Seung to further prove he's worthy of Jay's trust again.

The cafe looks like a nice place, very lively despite the late hour. Or maybe because of it. People inside are laughing, people at table outside are eating and chatting. And then there's Seung, taking Jay's hand and pulling him close to sway to the music seeping out the open door. This feels more natural. It's not sex, but it's as close as they can get with their close on. Lots of contact, lots of closeness. More than that, Seung's always loved dancing with Jay since the night they met.

But this does have a strange feeling to it. Dates, romance... after years of sleeping together. After resuming the sexual side of their previous relationship before dealing with the emotional side of it. This is what makes Seung nervous. Seeing Jay, fully clothed, smiling at him under Parisian street lights... Is that why his heart's pounding? Why he's breathless?

"I knew you'd want to."

@milkeu

[exceptonlyacat]

The house is brilliantly decorated. Of course it caught Felix's attention. And, of course, the little cat snuck in with ease. Some sort of party's going on so the door opened and closed frequently. And cats are good at slipping in and out of open doors. People tend not to look down, so as long as he stays out from underfoot, he goes unnoticed.

Unnoticed, perhaps, until he pauses under a delightful Christmas tree, loaded with shining, sparkling temptation! Felix pauses. Watches the stillness of the tree with wide, focused eyes. And then, oh-so-gently, begins to paw at a low-hanging ornament.

[milkeu]

While Felix had to sneak his way into the brilliantly decorated house, this particular cat was invited in by the host. Of course, he also looks perfectly human, which he technically is. On the outside, at least. On the inside, he may as well still be a cat. His appearance is all that's really changed from his days as a full-fledged feline. His personality and attitude toward people haven't changed. He's still a bit aloof, except for with his chosen person, he wants to be involved the things those around him are doing, he still possesses the well known 'kitty timer' that must be respected!

And he's still wildly entranced by a glittery Christmas tree.

Milk is sitting in front of the tree when Felix enters. The whole Christmas party takes a backseat to the Christmas tree. Even his preferred person can't tear Milk's attention away. He's too focused on the lights and sparkly baubles. That's until the other cat starts to paw at an ornament. At first he side-eyes the other cat, then he reaches out to gently push the paw off of the ornament so he can touch it instead. "This is my tree."

[exceptonlyacat]

One of the perks of appearing to be a perfectly normal little feline is that Felix can pretend not to understand human language. No one expects a cat to understand what a human is telling them, after all. So, Felix just turns his head at that perfectly adorable 45-degree angle to look at the person who had the audacity to touch his paw! And about a second later, he lifts his paw toward the ornament again.

@adventicius

[cacophony]

It’s been several years since Myca’s lived on land among humans (and other creatures) and he still doesn’t know exactly what people decorate for this time of year. But it’s pretty and he likes that. He has a feeling Aqua will like it, too. So, of course he sends his friend a text to find for the next time he comes ashore, inviting him to come visit and help Myca decorate his apartment.

Myca’s plan is to take Aqua shopping and let him pick out the decorations, then go back and begin decorating. He’s pretty sure it’s not something Aqua’s done before, at least not in this contact. He even makes a list of the basics they’ll need for when he gets a message from Aqua saying he’s on land again.

[adventicius]

If Myca doesn't know what people decorate for, then Aqua definitely doesn't know. It hasn't been all that long since he started coming to shore semi-regularly, compared to the years that Myca's lived on land exclusively. All he really knows is that things have been getting a little more colourful lately and he loves that.

As usual, the moment he gets to shore and has hands again, he goes straight for his cell phone to check to see if he has any messages. He's practically vibrating with anticipation as he waits for the device to power on, then claps his hands together excitedly when the text pops up. He props the phone up on a rock as the nice voice reads out the text from Myca for him, so he can safely tuck his pelt away where no one can find it too easily. After meticulously hiding his pelt. That's something he'll never rush through, no matter how excited he is to see Myca. It's too important. The moment he's done, though, he practically yells at his speech to text that he's down at the beach, then sends the text to Myca, all the while sprinting toward the road that runs along the beach where he and Myca first got food together.

[cacophony]

Myca would be so charmed if he heard Aqua yelling at his phone in his excitement. He adores Aqua's energy. It's a complement to his more relaxed nature. He's definitely not reserved, but next to Aqua, appears reserved.

It's not more than five minutes after Aqua sent his message that he gets once in return. Meet me by the people who sell food? I'm on my way.

@detricote

[bulnoriya]

Hayun said he wanted to go to Santorini for his winter break, so that’s where they’re going. Yohan sends Jun to the US to meet Hayun while he heads to the house he’s let in Greece to get things set up for them. Hayun & Co. will be taking Yohan’s private jet (important since one of Hayun’s guards is on a no-fly list). Yohan and his entourage (including a bulk of the household staff) will already be In Santorini when Hayun arrives.

The house is decorated for Christmas, barely a room left untouched with the holiday spirit. Garlands, lights, baubles, gnomes. It looks like something out of some perfect home décor magazine. When he gets a text saying they’re on their way from the airport with Hayun, Yohan’s there to greet his boy by the door… along with Baba and Siwoo and a few other fixtures of their household in Seoul.

“Welcome to Santorini, darling.”

[detricote]

Hayun's not sure he'll ever get used to things like private planes and travelling to different countries on a whim. He's been with Yohan for long enough that he should be accustomed to such luxuries, but he really isn't. He still expects to mention something like Santorini for winter vacation as a joke, he expects they'd laugh about it, and then find something local to do. It's what he and his grandparents used to do, though they'd throw in some food from the subject of their joke. Greek food. Italian food. They couldn't take him on destination vacations, so they did what they could to bring the destination to him.

And now here he is, fast asleep on a private plane with his bodyguards, on his way to Greece.

Hayun is practically vibrating with anticipation once he's off the plane, in the car on his way to the house where he'll be staying with Yohan while he's here. He doesn't sit still for the whole ride, looking this way and that, trying to see absolutely everything he can as though this'll be his last chance. Oh how he wishes his grandparents could see where he is now.

His eyes light up when he sees the home and the way it's decorated. The home and location, itself, are beautiful but with all of the holiday decor, it's incredible. All of that pales in comparison, though, to seeing everyone at the door waiting for him. He expected Yohan and probably Siwoo, but not everyone else. He gasps and drops his bag on the ground, throwing his arms first around Baba and then around Siwoo before finally the man he was most excited to see.

"I can't believe you're all here. I've missed you all so much," he says as he presses his face to Yohan's chest, trying to hide the fact that he has tears in his eyes.

[bulnoriya]

Don't worry, Hayun, Baba's already in tears! She's so happy to see that sweet boy. Just give her a few minutes to start questioning if Hayun's eating enough, getting enough rest, all those matronly things she always asks after not seeing him for more than 48 hours. Siwoo, the consummate professional, pats Hayun on the back when he's hugged. Yohan, however, drapes his arms around the boy and strokes his hair with great affection.

For once, he doesn't speak for the staff. He lets them speak for themselves with Hayun. "We missed you, too, kiddo," Siwoo replies. "Now, let me go help get your things to your room." It's not an offer so much as a statement, and a way to excuse himself. He picks up the bag Hayun dropped and vanishes down a hall with it.

Baba, on the other hand, swats at Yohan's arms when he holds on too long. "Let the others have a chance," she chides him, pulling a very newly freed Hayun against her. "What do you want for dinner, dear boy?"

@abominor

[vowelsinyourheart]

Iseul's home is dark and sprawling, positively goth in decor and style. Those guests who know or know of Iseul won't be a surprised. There's a running joke in the community that the Fae is truly meant to be a vampire. He certainly seems to spend enough time with some of them (perhaps one in particular).

As the host, Iseul does his duty: greeting guests, showing them to the parlor (with its pockets doors open making it somewhat of a small ballroom with musicians sitting in one corner), inviting them to dance, dine, and mingle. The whole of the ground floor and his extensive grounds outside are open to them.

The dining room boasts a long table with a veritable banquet. Though, one must be careful about eating Faerie food! Never fear, dear guests, for none of this food was prepared or even harvested by Fae hands. Outside, the grounds are covered with sprawling flower gardens, topiaries, and even a small maze of hedges. Lanterns light the paths since it’s night. Both in and out, the house has many dark nooks and crannies and unoccupied to rooms to disappear into. All guests are welcome to stay if, for any reason, they are unable to leave at first light.

In spite of his desire to devote his time to one person, Iseul is the consummate host. He mingles with everyone for a time, however great or small, pouring tea and wine to keep every guests cup full, ensuring that the food on his table is always just right — hot for the meats, chilled for the fruits —, making introductions, and encouraging this guests toward entertainment.

Making his way over to the one person he'd much prefer to pass his time with, Iseul peers out at the sea of guests and sighs. "A thought occurs to me: are you not a co-host now that you reside here?"

[abominor]

Slowly but surely, Hai will encroach on Iseul's gothic decor. Not much and maybe not even anywhere that's open to guests, but over time he will implement little bits of colour here and there. Some nice, deep purples and blues. Maybe some dark pinks. Something to indicate that Hai lives here now too.

As it stands, Hai himself is the contrast in Iseul's home. The golds and silvers that he's wearing, the blue and purple in his hair, it all stands out wonderfully against the dark decor. Much in the way that Iseul is not what most would picture when they think of the Fae, Hai is hardly the image people would conjure up upon hearing the word 'vampire'. Many think of a dark and brooding creature dressed all in black to match with it's nocturnal life. That's actually at least some of the reason why Hai tends toward a more colourful look. He already has to live his life in the dark. He doesn't need to dress dark as well.

While Iseul makes his way from guest to guest, playing the part of the dutiful host, Hai simply mingles. He wanders from guest to guest, sometimes exchanging pleasantries before moving on, sometimes skipping people entirely, and sometimes staying for a lengthy conversation. It's all done as he makes his way to a slightly more quiet spot where he can stand alone and watch the ball's host, eyes following the Fae as he moves from guest to guest, not missing a single one. Impressive, really.

A small smile tugs at one corner of Hai's mouth as Iseul makes his way over to the guest he's not yet seen much of over the course of the evening. "Hm. I feel like since this was all planned before I ever moved in, meaning I had no part in it, I can still claim to be a guest at your ball. But an argument can also be made for my being your co-host now. Does it afford me special privileges?"

[vowelsinyourheart]

An argument could be made for Hai being a proper co-host. Alas, Iseul doesn't feel like making it. Hai makes a perfectly reasonable point that he had no hand in the planning. Fine. Let this be the last event of Iseul's the vampire attends as a guest.

Those grey eyes remain on the sea of faces, lingering some time before the Fae turns them toward Hai. Hai's more colorful appearance isn't unique among his guests. But it is more precious to Iseul than any of the others. Blue and purple have become a dear color combination to him simply because they, in the right shades, remind him of this creature.

"There are no special privileges to co-hosting," he advises in his usual monotone. "However, there are special privileges to sharing a domicile with me."

@bulnoriya

[keptboy]

He had celebrated holidays with Yohan and the others in the past. But for some reason they hadn't done anything truly magical just yet. At least not until now. Now it seemed they were going to go out as a family to go do this. A large house where it was snowing to have a Christmas celebration. Even just driving up to it, Bae was amazed by the sight of the mansion and the beautiful snow that was falling around it.

Leaning over Yohan to look out the window, he rested partially on his lap as he gave a little gasp. A smile lit up his face as he looked over at the man.

"That's where we're spending Christmas? It's so beautiful."

[bulnoriya]

"Christmas and New Year," he corrects. The whole family. Him, Bae, Siwoo and his team, the team that looks out for Bae specifically, Baba, some other familiar faces from the household staff. A group in the double digits and the house is big enough to accommodate them all.

Just wait until Bae sees the interior. Yohan arranged to have the house completely prepared for his entourage: fully stocked with everything they'd need, but also decked out for the holiday. Once their cavalcade comes to a stop in front of the house, the bodyguards exist first, checking out the grounds and go inside to ensure the house is clear of danger before letting any of the household even get out of their vehicles. It's Siwoo who comes up to the car Yohan and Bae are in and taps on the driver's window to signal the all clear. He doesn't wait for the driver, but moves to open the back door to escort his boss and Bae to the house.

Once they're out, Yohan quickly drops an arm around Bae's shoulders and guides him inside. The staff can deal with their bags. That's what they're there for.

Inside, the foyer opens up to a double staircase, a huge Christmas tree decorated in silver and gold in the center. Garland with splashes or red, silver, and gold wind up the banisters. There isn't a place the eye can go that isn't decorated and shimmering. Though, Bae won't find a single nutcracker in sight. Yohan hates those creepy things so much!

Since it's snowing, Yohan toes out of his shoes and steps into the slippers already prepared for their arrival. "I'll show you around."

[keptboy]

"And New Year..."

He breathed out that part as they drew closer and closer, knowing better than to try and get out until Siwoo opened the door. Bae had learned very early on that he was to stay where he was put until someone like Siwoo or Yohan came to get him. For safety more than anything else really. Since he was hardly a fighter and doubted he could really learn to be anyway? That suited him just fine.

Once they were out of the car, he couldn't stop turning his head this way and that, loving all the snowy imagery around him. It was just breathtaking. Like a castle in the mountains or something.

Following Yohan's lead, he switched his footwear to the slippers and nodded up at his boyfriend. "It's so big. It feels bigger than home."

And that was already enormous. He'd lived there for a good bit now and still knew he hadn't seen every room.

@uppies

[vanishedking]

Most bars and food service places liked to decorate for the holidays. His place was no exception. However, he found most of the generic holidays to be pointless. They were just a means to argue over something that really had no impact on anything and honestly got to be so tedious. Darin had actually cursed people to terrible fates whenever they tried to demand something stupid like he or Wolf having to say Merry Christmas or whatever.

No, he and his pup preferred to do things that were more interesting. More entertaining. Holidays that were made up in media. Nothing nationally or internationally celebrated. Just ridiculous things that actually made people want to visit the bar more often because it was a unique choice.

And this particular holiday happened to be his favorite. Well, second favorite. The wolf one was actually his favorite but that was a private one between him and Wolf. No this one was Festivus and he loved the way it was celebrated. Especially the airing of grievances. That was just...delicious.

Leaning on the bar next to Wolf, he chuckled as an engaged couple did the activity at a nearby table. "I have a feeling they're not getting married after all."

[uppies]

The more recently made up holidays (all holidays are made up, after all) are much more fun. Maybe because they're not ruined by tradition and expectation. Though, he's a little fond of Halloween. That might be the only mainstream holiday Wolf really liked. Valentine's and Easter were almost acceptable solely because of the candy filling the stores at those times. The holidays themselves? He doesn't give toss.

There's some irony to their business celebrating an anti-consumerist holiday like Festivus, but when has irony ever stopped humans?

"It's a Festivus miracle. She's been saved. Look at her, she can do so much better."

[vanishedking]

"She really can. He's beneath her to begin with. Completely out of his league."

Of course, he also saw him slip something in her drink when she left to go fix her makeup in a huff. Darin was all for sin but only so he could punish the sinners. And this? This was about to be the best gift for him and his precious hound. Grinning ear to ear suddenly, he waved one of his other employees over and told her to go take care of the girl who had gone to the bathroom.

"Wolf, you wanna have some fun?" Cracking his knuckles, he went to head in the way of the guy.

@wantedagent

[bagelbites]

Christmas, New Year, neither were holidays Dal's celebrated since he came to the US. His neighborhood didn't do a lot collectively either: a few lights in windows, a dinner served by volunteers at the shelter nearby, some garland in his favorite all-night diner. There was no one to exchanges gifts with, no one to kiss at the stroke of midnight.

No one until now.

Dal never expected his life to change so much the night he met Gabriel. Everything changed even more the night Gabriel took him out of the city. Who could have predicted that someone so put-together in life would want to share that life with him? Maybe, once upon a time, somewhere in the back of his mind long forgotten, Dal hoped for a life like this (he totally did!).

There was a tree for Christmas, dinner with Gabriel and his mama. Dal wasn't much help in the cooking, but he observed from a place where he's out of the way. And he was the first to help with the cleanup. Washing dishes is something he can do in spades. Putting dishes away is easier now that he knows where everything belongs. The language barrier between Dal and Gabriel's mom is wide, but they somehow manage without any awkwardness and more than their fair share of laughter.

And after she leaves for the night, Dal's content to curl up on the couch to snuggle with Gabriel for a while. He really hasn't even imagined he'd be so happy for a very long time. Years. Even years before he ran away. His chest feel so full and he hardly notices the water pooling in his eyes.

"I haven't done this in a real long time," he murmurs quietly.

[wantedagent]

It had really been the perfect Christmas. His mama and the love of his life. They'd been able to have dinner together and tomorrow she would be back for gifts. And he was sure that was going to be a shock for Dal but he wanted to keep it a surprise how much she planned to bring. Her English wasn't bad but her Spanish was definitely better so she'd reassured him several times that she could get all the gifts in the car but she'd want help getting them in the house tomorrow. All while Dal was entirely unaware.

Smiling, he hugged Dal closer and kissed his hair. He knew that his boyfriend was emotional right now but he wasn't going to tell him to not have those feelings. After all, he knew why he had them in the first place.

"I'm glad you get to now. And for many years to come." And, just to reassure him again as he had for weeks now... "Mama is going to love your gift tomorrow. She'll be telling everyone about it at her restaurant."

For tonight though, they had some time together and he gently took his hand. "I have a gift I can give you tonight though if you like. So we can celebrate a little longer. Just us."

@conturbatus

[thedevilsaid]

Normally, Matthias is good at surprises. Keeping secrets from others doesn't give him any pause. Yet... Somehow, he almost blurts out his New Year surprise for Seong multiple times in the span of the month leading up to it. All he did was surreptitiously ensure Seong didn't have any plans for the night before setting to work. Reservations at a nice restaurant where Seong would have quite a few menu options that wouldn't kill him. A nice, designer outfit to dress him up in (oh, he's 100% certain it'll fit his boyfriend perfectly). And a simple text too early in the morning on New Year's Eve.

Come up and see me at 4:30. Not a minute before or after.

[conturbatus]

Seong normally doesn't have much in the way of holiday plans. He does Christmas with his parents for half the day, then goes home and does a smaller Christmas with his roommate. A small gift exchange and picking at whatever leftovers Seong brought home. As for New Year's, he might go out for drinks but usually he'll stay home. Even when he does go out, he's often home before midnight.

So Seong making sure his New Year's was clear for Matthias was an easy enough task.

It's nearing noon when Read finally appears under Matthias' early morning text. Be up at Matthias' place at 4:30. Not a minute sooner or later. That gives Seong a few hours to remember how to be a functional person and grab a shower as well as a small bite to eat. Not much. Just enough to see him through until later. Given their meeting time, it's probably safe to assume that they'll be having supper together. So before his shower, Seong cuts himself up an orange and has a couple slices of toast along with a cup of coffee. That'll do for now.

A few hours and at least two more cups of coffee later, Seong is knocking on Matthias' door. He started knocking the moment the time ticked over from 4:29 to 4:30. Not a minute before or after. He's dressed for a comfortable evening with his boyfriend. Big, oversized sweater and baggy sweat pants, hair visibly just a little on the messy side under the pulled up hood (probably more because of the pulled up hood) and then just to really sell the 'planned for a cozy night in with his boyfriend' look, glasses. Cozy.