Jonne listened to the soft crunch of snow under his boots as he walked, humming softly to himself. It almost felt like he was walking on velvet, the way the powdery, freshly-fallen snow glided under the soles of his boots. He liked it. The cold, however, was another matter altogether, but luckily, this night, he was too bundled up to really feel it.
And so he found himself in a rather wonderful mood, despite the fact that he was a little tired from his walk; but then again, it was Christmas Eve and he was on his way to Lauri’s, so how could his mood possibly be bad? He’d already opened presents with Tommi, Ville, and Mummu earlier in the evening, and had a bellyful of his grandmother’s delicious Christmas food. Now he carried the leftovers in his arms, wanting to bring a little holiday cheer to his closest friend.
He smiled as he saw Lauri’s building in the distance, his pace automatically increasing. After several flights of stairs, when he finally found himself at Lauri’s doorstep, he reached into his bag for the key Lauri’d given him, wanting to surprise him. He slipped the key into the lock, turned it, and twisted the knob, stepping inside, closing the door behind him. To his surprise, the house smelled of cookies, and as he entered the kitchen to put Mummu’s food in the fridge, he found an empty container of store-bought dough and a tray of cookies, which had a few empty places. He had to smile.
And his smile widened even more when he found Lauri asleep in his bed, with the television on, tuned to some old black-and-white Christmas movie. He reached for the remote, turning it off, then going to the closet to get an extra blanket, which he covered Lauri with. After shrugging out of his coat, he slid under the covers next to Lauri, sighing happily. He was incredibly tired, and finding Lauri like this was a wonderful surprise, albeit a quite unexpected one; Lauri was usually up until the wee hours of the morning. He said he liked the quiet of the late hours. But tonight, Christmas Eve, he’d fallen asleep a few hours early, and Jonne was delighted. They both loved to snuggle, and Lauri’s body felt nice against his. He drifted off to that thought, slumbering peacefully with his face buried in Lauri’s shoulder.
***
Lauri awoke to something tickling him, his eyes snapping open, but he immediately softened when he realised he and Jonne were snuggled up, and that the tickle had only been his soft, blonde hair. He smiled and stroked him fingers through it, appreciating. At the same time, another thought struck him – it was Christmas.
Last night, he’d had a rather tame evening alone at home – the way he liked it – having eaten some of the stew Mummu had sent Jonne with earlier in the week for dinner. And, knowing Jonne, he knew that the blonde would most likely be over at some point, and he also knew how much Jonne loved Christmas, so he’d baked some cookies for them to share.
After he’d sampled a couple of the cookies – which had turned out pretty well – he’d turned on the television, had a couple of beers, and eventually fell asleep about halfway through some old Christmas movie he’d watched because it reminded him of Jonne. His dreams had been pleasant, and as he now saw that Jonne’d crawled in bed with him at some point during the night, he knew that was probably no coincidence. He always slept better with Jonne next to him.
“Wake, up, little one,” he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to Jonne’s forehead. “It’s Christmas morning.” The second kiss, a soft one to his lips, awakened Jonne gently, and as he woke enough to realise what was going on, he returned the kiss, a purr in his throat.
“Mmm, well, I must admit that’s the way I’d like all mornings to start,” he said, looking sleepy but happy, twisting one of Lauri’s curls around his finger. “Happy Christmas, Lauri.”
Lauri smiled too. “If that’s what you want, then you’ll have it. And Happy Christmas to you too, Jonne. I’m glad you came, it’s nice to have a warm body next to me. Particularly yours,” he winked.
Jonne blushed – which was the desired result – and swatted Lauri softly, playfully. “Stop ittttt.”
Lauri reached down to pinch his ass in response, earning a squeal from Jonne, followed by adorable laughter as he began to tickle him. Lauri tickled until tears of laughter were falling down the blonde’s cheeks, and eventually he begged for mercy, which Lauri granted.
“See?” Jonne said, smiling, getting his breath back. “This is why I love you and had to spend Christmas with you. Now let’s go into the living room, I want you to open your present!” He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, and Lauri couldn’t do anything but relent.
“All right. I have something in there for you, too,” he said, giving Jonne a soft little kiss.
“I told you not to,” Jonne smiled, although he was obviously pleased Lauri had.
Lauri smiled back. “And I told you not to.”
Jonne just grinned, grabbing Lauri’s arm, practically dragging him out of bed. “Come on!”
Lauri once again smiled at Jonne’s excitement, allowing himself to be pulled out of bed, snuggling Jonne up to his side as they walked to the living room.
“I’m just sorry I didn’t make it here before you fell asleep last night, I’d have loved for you to have opened your gift then. We could’ve eaten some of the food Mummu sent me with, cuddled up, and fallen asleep all warm and cosy together,” Jonne said, a little regretful. But he’d spent most of the previous evening wrestling with his brothers and having a snowball fight, which even Mummu took part in, and that time was very special to him too.
Lauri smiled. By now he could tell how much effort the blonde had not only put into his present – whatever it was, and Lauri was certainly curious now – but in trying to make his holiday special in general. “Well, that’s what we’ll do tonight,” he offered, giving Jonne a little nuzzle. “And you can have some of my cookies for dessert.”
Jonne seemed quite pleased by that. “Deal,” he said as he picked up his gift for Lauri – which he’d spent half an hour wrapping; it had to be perfect – then sat down on the couch, patting the place next to him.
Lauri handed Jonne his present as well – which was rather sloppily wrapped in comparison, but Jonne found it cute – before accepting the invitation and sitting down next to Jonne, taking the box the blonde offered him.
“Open yours first,” Jonne said eagerly, practically hovering over Lauri. “I’m anxious.”
‘He always is,’ thought Lauri, obliging, his fingers carefully tearing at the edges of the paper, not wanting to mess up Jonne’s hard work. ’Especially around Christmas.’ Eventually the paper fell away, and Lauri was left with a white cardboard box. He lifted the lid, and had to smile at what he found inside. A jacket, which he could immediately tell Jonne had handmade for him – maybe with a little help from Mummu. It had a few sequins and patches of his favorite bands, looked worn and a little frayed like he liked, and the word ‘Love’ was stitched across the back in a lettering that suited it him perfectly. “I love it, Jonne,” he smiled, reaching over to stroke the blonde’s cheek. “Thank you.” After a soft kiss of gratitude, he stood up to try it on, pleased when it fit just right. It was a special gift; Jonne had done it just for him, and that was something Lauri liked more than just about any other gift Jonne could’ve given him. He sat back down, snuggling a little bit closer. “Now it’s your turn.”
Jonne was so ecstatic Lauri liked his gift that he’d almost forgotten he had one of his own to open. He shook it, felt it, even smelled it, exploring it like a child, trying to figure out what could possibly be inside. When he failed, he finally opened it, unable to wait any longer. “Oh, Lauri!” he exclaimed breathlessly, happier than ever. “I can’t believe this!” ‘This’ referred to the scrapbook that Lauri had made him, filled with pictures and memories of his family and friends. “You really know me too well,” he said with a grin as he flipped through the pages. “How did you get all these?!” he asked, shocked as he came across a picture of he and Lauri backstage at one of their very first shows.
“Magic,” Lauri smiled, running a finger over a picture of Jonne asleep on his couch, which he himself had taken.
Jonne’s hand stilled Lauri’s, threading their fingers together. “Thank you, Lauri. This really means a lot.”
Lauri gently squeezed Jonne’s hand. “So does knowing you spent all that time making my jacket. It’s very me, and it’s special because you made it.”
Jonne leaned in to kiss Lauri, his eyes closing, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. His fingers came up to sift through Lauri’s curls as his lips ghosted a little teasingly, but Lauri didn’t let him keep on like that for long, instead claiming Jonne’s lips deeply. He couldn’t help but smile at the little purrs and sounds of satisfaction that came from Jonne’s throat, the blonde relaxing so much that he practically melted into him. Jonne was the most loving person Lauri knew, and this kind of tenderness always felt incredible. He was pulled out of his trance just a bit as he felt curious fingers at the hem of his t-shirt, then slipping underneath to stroke at the skin of his abdomen. This time, it was Lauri’s turn to purr.
“I love it when you do that,” Jonne whispered against his lips, opening his eyes to look at him for a moment, feeling completely content.
“Mmm…” replied Lauri, having to pull away for a moment so that his brain would start to work again. “Are you hungry, sweet boy?” he asked, not wanting to stop, but knowing it was breakfast time and not wanting to deprive Jonne of anything.
Jonne shrugged. “A little bit, I guess.” Though hunger was really the last thing on his mind.
Lauri collected himself as best he could, then leaned in to place a loving kiss on Jonne’s temple. “We’d better get you fed, or your Mummu will kill me.” Jonne looked disappointed, but Lauri wouldn’t have it, wanting to make sure he was taken care of. Besides, he knew just the thing. “How about a cup of hot chocolate while I heat up the food, hm?”
Immediately Jonne’s frown turned to a smile – he could never say no to Lauri’s hot chocolate; he loved the way he made it. “Okay,” he agreed.
Lauri took just a moment to kiss at Jonne’s ear, completely re-distracting the blonde, earning him a whimper of frustration – but he couldn’t help it.
“You’re evil,” pouted Jonne.
Lauri kissed those pouting lips, nuzzling his cheek against Jonne’s softly. “And you’re irresistible. What am I supposed to do?”
“Spend all day making it up to me,” Jonne grinned matter-of-factly, arms crossed cutely over his chest.
“Alright, princess,” Lauri smiled, standing up, lifting Jonne off the couch – which earned a squeal from him. “But right now, I have a sweet boy who needs a cup of my special hot chocolate.”
Jonne smiled and wrapped his arms around Lauri’s neck as he was carried into the kitchen. “Well, if you insist.”
“I do,” Lauri smiled as he gently deposited Jonne on the counter so that he could watch, like he always enjoyed doing.
“Extra marshmallows?” Jonne begged with big, blue puppy-dog eyes.
Lauri had to laugh. “Of course. But only for you,” he added, earning himself another soft kiss from Jonne. He ruffled the blonde’s hair and smiled at him before heading over to the fridge, taking out the food Mummu had sent over and putting it in the oven to heat. Then he began to rustle around in the cabinets, looking for everything he would need to make the cocoa, feeling Jonne’s eyes on him as he added it all to a saucepan on the stove.
Jonne kicked the cabinets absentmindedly as he watched Lauri, a little bored. “Have you heard from Kristian?” he finally asked, wanting to make conversation.
Lauri met his eyes for a moment, finished stirring the liquid in the pan, then pulled himself up on the counter next to Jonne before responding. “No, but last I heard, he was spending Christmas with Japa, so you can almost bet those two are passed out together somewhere.”
“Probably,” Jonne had to laugh, reaching for Lauri’s hand, laying his head on his shoulder and sighing deeply, curly hair tickling his face just slightly. “I love you, Lauri.”
Lauri smiled, touched, and squeezed Jonne’s hand. “I love you too, Jonne. Thank you for coming over and keeping me company.”
Once again content, Jonne let his eyes close for a moment. “Thank you for having me.”
“Nonsense,” Lauri said, running his fingers through Jonne’s sleep-tousled hair, calming it a bit. “You know you’re always more than welcome here.”
“Yes I do. It makes me happy,” Lauri barely heard Jonne whisper. He leaned in and kissed Jonne’s forehead. “I like it best when you’re happy.”
Jonne lifted his head to smile at Lauri, bright blue eyes shining. “Then you’ll have to let me stay here with you forever, I suppose.”
“I think I could handle that,” Lauri agreed, smiling back. “You’re not too much trouble, anyway.”
Jonne stuck his tongue out playfully and Lauri grabbed it, ultimately leading to a little mini wrestling match between the two. It felt nice. They broke it off only when the hot chocolate was steaming and the scent of cocoa saturated the air. Lauri got up to pour them both a mug full, adding extra marshmallows to Jonne’s as he had asked, then handing it to him. “Be very careful, sweet boy. It’s hot.”
Jonne blew on it for a moment before taking a cautious sip, then licking his lips in satisfaction. “Mmm, that’s perfect. Thank you, Lauri.”
Lauri couldn’t help but kiss a bit of chocolate off his lips. “You’re welcome. Just relax and enjoy it. I know how much you love Christmas, and I want this one to be special.”
“It already is,” Jonne told him, laying his head on Lauri’s shoulder once more. “I’m spending it with you.”
Lauri felt a little tug at his heartstrings, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. “I never know what to say when you tell me something like that,” he admitted, setting his cocoa down for a moment, wanting to focus his attention on Jonne.
Jonne set his mug down as well. “You don’t have to say anything. I know. I see it in your eyes.”
Smiling, Lauri knew that was probably true; every time his greenish-brown eyes fixed on the blonde, they were filled with love and adoration. “Sometimes I wish I was better with words when it comes to that stuff, like you,” he confessed.
Jonne snuggled up to his side. “I like that you don’t say it all the time. It makes it even more special when you do.”
“I like that you do say it all the time,” Lauri smiled, a bit amused by their different tastes.
“Good, because I couldn’t help it if I wanted to,” Jonne smiled back sweetly.
They sat in silence for a while, snuggling, sipping cocoa until it was gone. Jonne had already decided it was the perfect way to spend Christmas. No matter what happened the rest of the day, it had been the best one ever. Because he had Lauri, like he’d said, and that was all that really mattered.
