[Closed] Christmas

[shakra]

Who: Asura, Taishakuten
Which: Closed log
Where: Farmhouse
What: What is Christmas to two celestials?
Warnings: Nothing much.



[ taishakuten likes to think that he's at least getting used to this place and its myriad strange quirks, but then of course, things like christmas and grinches and the spirit of the season (whatever it means) come along, and he's left grasping at straws.

the occasion seems like a big deal to many, much like that one that involved a lot of candy and pumpkins and horror, except this time it seems to be with trees and more candy, and... gifts? gifts, taishakuten can get behind that.

once the chaos has been quelled, taishakuten decides to get in the mood, procuring himself some neatly wrapped (clearly not by him) gifts containing handmade (again, not by him) glass sculptures of two swans twined together, and a container of spices that made his eyes water just looking at them. he tugs the warm coat around his shoulders more firmly as he lingers by the doorway decorated with little fairy lights.

asura should be home any minute now. ]

Comments

[abyssbound]

[Different worlds, different times, different holidays. Asura can't pretend to understand it all yet himself since this is his first experience with the holiday, and asking around produced sometimes contradictory answers, which didn't help to clear things up much. But I digress.

And Asura is home right on time, horrible sweater and all, with a dead chicken in hand for dinner.]

What's got you so excited? [Asura chuckles as he enters their cabin. He hadn't expected Taishakuten to be... right there when he opened the door, but clearly he'd been waiting for him to get home for one reason or another.]

[shakra]

[ honestly, that sweater is doing a noble job, stretched across that impressive chest and all. taishakuten's gaze is warm as he waits for him to take him the way he'd decorated their humble little home, tastefully touched up with delicate little lights and festive wreaths.

a stack of neat gifts are wrapped and set aside in the corner, and taishakuten spares asura (and his dead chicken) a warm glance before asking. ]

I suppose I did quite well decorating? What do you think?

[abyssbound]

[It may be stretched to its limits, but attempts to remove it only result in getting replaced with a worse sweater, so Asura has given up on going shirtless for the month.

Asura really gives the decor of their cabin a good, second look as he heads into the kitchen to set down the bird, quirking an eyebrow at the festive ornaments, though there is a smile on his lips.]

You've been busy. It looks good, Taishakuten. [He says as he pulls the slighter man into a warm embrace, pressing a kiss to his forehead.]

[shakra]

[ oh, yes, taishakuten looks mighty pleased with himself. he's more than happy to press up into his arms, into that now-familiar warm embrace. it's as if something important has been unlocked between them since the other day, that asura is giving more voice to his own desires, being just a touch more honest with him.

leaning up into the kiss, taishakuten smiles and wraps his arms around him, lifting his face with a wicked smile. ]

You've been busy providing for us as well. [ he murmurs, an odd sort of contentment settling into his chest as he shifts to press a kiss to the side of his mouth in response, affectionate and playful. ]

I've made some lotus soup for you to warm up. We can use the chicken bones tomorrow to make a broth.

[ domesticity? yes, yes, totally. how strange it feels, that taishakuten is really getting into it. ]

[abyssbound]

[Just a touch, perhaps. He's still tight-lipped about certain aspects of their past, and doesn't allow Taishakuten into his memories, even if he does manage to catch the occasional glimpse of his dreams--but such is the nature of this place even without his power of empathy.]

You cooked? [Asura returns the kiss with a chaste peck of his own.] The house hasn't burned down, so I'll remain cautiously optimistic. [He jokes as he pulls out of his arms. Taishakuten has gotten better at cooking since he set the kitchen on fire in their first shared dream, but even if Taisha can't remember that incident, Asura will still tease him a bit over it.]

[shakra]

I did.

[ taishakuten murmurs, slipping from him and showing him to where the pot on the stove is simmering, emanating a different fragrance from his lotuses. he gestures for him to sit, before he busies himself with getting a bowl and spoon for asura to sample.

he's very certain that the light, faintly sweet broth wouldn't impress asura, whose taste runs towards the heavy and spicy, but he's set some farm-grown chillies on the side just in case he needs to spice it up.

setting the tray down before him, taishakuten's expression is gently expectant. ]

[abyssbound]

[It's unusual to be doted on like this--Taishakuten had clearly put in no small amount of effort for today, and Asura can't help but smile at how excited he appears to be about all of it. Between the soup and Taishakuten in full bloom, the entire cabin smells fragrant and homey.

He allows himself to be guided from pot to table, obediently taking a seat when bidden, all with a soft, adoring gaze in Taishakuten's direction.]

You've really embraced the holiday. [Asura observes, and scoops up a spoonful of the soup Taishakuten had made for him. The taste is subtle, and while not overly sweet, it still isn't to Asura's usual tastes, but he has to give credit where credit is due;]

You've improved a lot, Taishakuten. This is good, thank you. [He's still going to grab one of those chilies and pop it into his mouth to chase it, though. The spice does pair well with the sweetness of the soup.] I feel like you're spoiling me today.

[shakra]

I should like to understand what it feels like, this spirit of the season.

[ and what better way than to get into its traditions, big and small? taishakuten is even more pleased when asura seems to be enjoying the soup, and the lotuses on him blossom even more vibrantly, glimmering a rich, deep gold.

he catches that inexplicably soft gaze, too, and notes how, for a moment, asura seems younger than he really is, gentler. and he wonders about what kind of a childhood and adolescence this man would've had, to be both fearsome and oddly kind at the same time. ]

I understand it's an occasion that involves the exchanging of gifts as well.

[abyssbound]

[Asura chuckles at that answer--not a judgmental or condescending chuckle, but an affectionate, 'I thought so' sort. Taishakuten looks even more beautiful today than usual in Asura's eyes, for he rarely seems to be so passionate about doing something purely for the fun of it, and Taishakuten does seem to be having fun.]

Oh? [Asura's hand goes to his chin in thought; he hadn't brought anything home for a gift today other than the chicken (he had planned to cook the feet up just the way Taishakuten liked them, but that hardly seems fit for a special occasion since he'd have done that anyway regardless of the holiday).]

[shakra]

[ taishakuten is definitely enjoying himself -- something so very rare -- but a significant factor of it is because of asura, who seems so very indulgent of this particular whim. the finer points of this season escape him, but this is good enough.

he goes over to the corner and retrieves a neatly wrapped gift, offering it over to him with a small smile. ]

Yes. I thought I ought to observe this tradition, too. Here.

[abyssbound]

[Look, any time Taishakuten wants to do something that makes him happy, Asura will likewise be happy to indulge him--provided what he wants to do isn't something dumb and self-sacrificing like become a tyrant for the sake of turning Asura into a hero.

That's not allowed.

Asura watches Taishakuten as he moves through the room to retrieve his gift, and accepts it graciously when offered (letting his fingers linger just a few moments upon Taisha's hand when he takes it). He takes his time examining the package, turning it around in his hands and feeling its weight, but his attention is mostly on the other man, a mischievous smile on his lips as Asura silently wonders how long he can make a show of studying the box before Taishakuten gets impatient.]

[shakra]

[ taishakuten would've been much more impatient if asura's fingers hadn't lingered on his when the gift changed hands, when the electric reminder of the time they'd properly kissed for the first time hadn't floated to the fore, awakening dormant desires.

his gaze stays not on asura's face but those long, elegant fingers, his own mind furnishing increasingly suggestive details about what those fingers could be good for, especially when they're tracing along the edges of the relatively heavy gift. the sculpture of two swans twining shifts around in it, but taishakuten's gaze is fixed on the way asura is feeling it out.

imagine, one day, that could be him.

taishakuten swallows hard after a moment, reaching out to put his hand over his gently before that train of thought could take him where he can't come back from. there's a faint dusting of pink on his pale cheeks, and definitely an almost hungry look in his eyes. ]

Open it?

[abyssbound]

[He doesn't miss that look on Taishakuten's face, and it doesn't take a mind reader to glean that the thoughts behind those pink cheeks are perhaps less than chaste. The corners of Asura's lips quirk upward in amusement, and his hands still as Taishakuten's own covers his.

Alright, that's enough teasing for now.

Asura's hands, that are capable of so much savagery in battle, open the package with care not to tear the paper itself--gently untying the ribbon and sliding the colorful paper away from the treasure within, and when the image of the entwined swans within makes itself known, Asura doesn't immediately know what to say. He traces the lines of the delicate sculpture with his fingertips, his eyes softening and his mischievous grin shifting to a smile of genuine affection.]

Taishakuten... [He reaches out to take one pale hand in his own and give it a squeeze.] Thank you. It's beautiful.