Were I Home for Christmas…

Something stirred me from my slumber. I didn’t bother to open my eyes. After a brief moment of disorientation I knew that the daylight I could see through my eyelids had done it. It didn’t matter that it was light out; I simply did not want to wake. Peaceful oblivion called to me to come back. The closest I would ever get to achieving time travel.

I tried slipping back into the dream I’d left behind, but something was making me restless. Some weak neural synapse was trying to be heard-among the others telling it to just shut the hell up-screaming at me behind a wall of disinterested lethargy. What was it trying to say?

Who cares.

Body heat against my side beckoned me, urging me to come closer, away from the cold room. I rolled onto my side and felt out my target. There was no need to tempt wakefulness by opening an eye. The mass of warm fur was dead weight as I wrapped my arms around it, carefully sliding one leg between his. Annoyed grumbling came from the ball of fur as I pulled Eyrich onto his side to my chest. A heavy sleeper, he didn’t fully wake and quieted when I held him tight.

There was no resisting the impulse to rub his belly with my lower hands. I buried my nose into the exquisite softness of his neck fluff. I often wished I had a pillow made out of his fur so I wouldn’t have to miss out on the feeling of it when I was away, sequestered in the long periods of calculated loneliness for work. The languid rise and fall of his chest was beginning to lull me back towards my desired destination. Each breath filled my nose with his faint, delicate musk, clean and utterly comforting with the faint, fresh scent of his shampoo. I smiled to myself and held him a little tighter. Yes, I can sleep now, just like this, I thought to myself.

Christmas!

What?

CHRISTMAS!

Oh. OH!

The poor electrical impulse was practically hoarse by the time I finally heard its annoyed, desperate screams. My eyes opened reluctantly and were filled with a view of light, golden fur and little else. I lifted my arm overhead and there was just enough light filtering through the shades I’d failed to close the night before.

Ten a.m.

I sighed and nuzzled the back of Eyrich’s head while gently shaking him. He groaned in response. I shook him harder. He groaned louder. I tickled his exposed side and he growled, rolling from my arms, trying to escape me.

"Wake up, buttfluff," I said after I sat up, blankets sliding from my scales like sheets of water. If I had to pick one thing to change about the petulant dragon, it would be how hard it was to wake the damn man up! I alternated between shaking him and flicking his ears until he tried to smack me. The strike was completely ineffectual and I retaliated by smacking his rump.

"Stop it, faggot!" Eyrich shouted in annoyance.

"Then wake up," I exclaimed as I hit him in the face with a pillow.

"Bitch! Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at work," Eyrich asked after he ripped the pillow from my hands. He glared at me when I laughed. "What’s so funny?"
"It’s Christmas morning, dumbfluff," I said affectionately. He blinked as he realized I wasn’t lying to him. I leaned down close to his snout, supporting myself with my hands on either side of his head. Hesitation was in his eyes, unsure if I was going to pull a trick. I smoothed the disheveled mane of hair between his ears with one hand and kissed him softly.

"Now, get out of bed and help me make breakfast," I said sweetly, followed by another kiss.

"You’re always hungry," Eyrich complained halfheartedly.

"Hush," I told him with a final kiss. I ruffled the hair I’d just made neat and slipped off the bed.

The room was cooler than I liked and I nearly shivered. I picked up the pair of boxer briefs I’d neatly folded and left on my nightstand the night before and pulled them on. Sleeping nude was much more pleasant than walking around in the cold nude. My dresser supplied me with a cozy long sleeve shirt. The underwear-shirt combo was all I needed, not to mention the most comfortable. I liked to think it was sexy in a cute way for Eyrich to enjoy.

By the time I was dressed, Eyrich was shuffling, hunched over, out of the room in the same sweats he insisted on sleeping in. I didn’t understand how he could possibly be comfortable sleeping in clothes, under piles of blankets, with all his thick fur covering him. How he doesn’t die in the summer, when beyond the cold tendrils of air conditioning, I’ll never know. I swore his body broke the laws of thermodynamics. I could sleep in clothes because I hated waking up tangled in them.

On my way out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen I stopped by the thermostat and clicked it up a few notches.

The sound of the heater kicking on helped dispel any remaining tiredness from my body. I glimpsed the short pine tree in the living room, coated in twinkling white lights and multi-colored shiny ornaments, flanked by a modest stack of festive, colorfully wrapped presents before I padded into the kitchen. The cold linoleum on my bare feet annoyed me as I pulled cookware and utensils out of the cupboards.

Pancakes with real maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar; scrambled eggs with diced veggies, salt and pepper and fresh baked cinnamon rolls was the morning’s planned feast. The fresh cinnamon rolls were a fond childhood memory from past Christmas mornings. My mother always made some and it was a tradition I wanted to share with Eyrich on our first Christmas-in person-together.

I measured out all of the ingredients for the pancakes into a large bowl and set Eyrich to beating the mixture into a thick goop. As he did that, I cracked one half dozen eggs into another bowl with some milk-to make the eggs fluffy-and whisked it. Eggs, before they were cooked, never looked appetizing and the way the yolk clung to the whisk reminded me of snot; yellow, viscous, edible snot. I held back a look of disgust and set to dicing the vegetables. Eyrich retrieved two large sauce pans, at my direction, and set them to preheat on the stove. I smiled to myself as I stirred the vegetables into the egg snot. Mundane things like cooking together with Eyrich were the simple, small moments that I missed the most when I was overseas; when our relationship had to be lived through signals of light and bits of data. Meetings in person only lasted two weeks at a time and once every six to eight months.

The next thing to do was prepare the cinnamon rolls. Eyrich set the oven to preheat and I popped the cardboard cylinder of premade dough. Making them from scratch was too much work and not even my mother had ever bothered to do that. I filled the glass dish with the sticky dough and set it on the counter beside the stove. There was one last thing I wanted to make and I fetched a small pot. Eyrich quirked an eyebrow when I poured milk into it and set the stove to warm it. He asked what I was doing and I told him not to worry about it.

With all the prep work done, I pulled the smaller male into my arms, against my strong chest, and sat on the edge of the countertop. I had a moment to reflect on the man I had wrapped in my arms and how happy I was to finally be with him somewhere I could really, truly, call home. I wasn’t thousands of miles away anymore. Not missing out on every holiday, birthday or get together with friends. Four Christmases away, beyond the boundaries of home, beyond the simplest touch of my love, away from everything I cared about. But that was all ancient history now.

"What’s the matter, Nalz?" I looked down at Eyrich and his eyes darted back and forth, searching mine for an answer. His arms tightened their grip around my torso. The worry he had for my wellbeing was laid bare in his expression. He knew me better than anyone, knew my demons, but right now, with him in my arms, they were silent as the dead.

"Nothing is wrong, hun. I’m just so happy, so grateful to be here, here with you," I said. "Not across the fucking Earth." I gave him no opportunity to respond and pressed my lips lovingly to his. Everything I felt for him I wanted to pass through my lips to his very soul. He purred softly and pressed back when I hugged him tighter. We lost ourselves in the moment, enjoying the pleasure of each other’s lips. In that moment we shared more than simple contact. And not just saliva and germs.

He pulled back slowly, reluctantly, when the oil in the pans hissed and popped angrily. After all the time we’d been together he still blushed after moments like that. And I still loved it. He pouted because he knew what I was smiling so broadly about and turned to start pouring the pancake batter into the hot pan. He knew that smile. The smile I only gave him when he was blushing on account of something I said or did.

I left him to start the cooking and turned my attention to the pot of milk that was warming nicely. Earlier in the week I’d gone on a quest to find some quality dark cocoa to make some rich hot chocolate. Eyrich loved the drink and I wanted to make him my favorite holiday version. I retrieved the tin from where I had hidden it among bottles of spices. Eyrich wasn’t the most adventurous cook, so I knew he’d never go snooping through the cabinet that was a deluge of spice bottles from every corner of the world. I measured out the proper amount and dumped it into the milk. Eyrich didn’t catch on to what I was doing until the milk had turned a creamy, light brown.

"Hot cocoa," Eyrich asked excitedly and pressed into my side. "Trying to butter me up?" I put two arms around him and nibbled on the tip of one of his ears. He flicked the other ear at me until I stopped. I kissed the top of his head and scratched his back.

"Mhm," I rumbled, "Don’t burn the pancakes or eggs."

"I’m not!"

"Good boy," I said with a smirk. He frowned at me and chopped at clumps of cooking egg with a spatula.

The fluffy dragon growled when I patted his rump affectionately as I left the stove. He didn’t ask where I was going and I wouldn’t have told him anyway. I went to fetch the last ingredient for my hot cocoa. It was, arguably, the most important one! Eyrich gave me a disapproving look when I returned to the kitchen with a bottle in my hand.

"Really? It’s not even noon yet!" He scolded as I set the bottle on the counter.

"Oh, hush. I’m making my festive holiday hot cocoa. You’re going to like it, trust me," I assured him and twisted the cap off the bottle of peppermint schnapps. I made sure not to pour too much, lest the schnapps become overpowering and mask the delicious, slightly bitter chocolate I’d used. I hadn’t bought the nice, expensive stuff to hide it behind peppermint and alcohol.

By the time the mixture was up to serving temperature, Eyrich had two plates with pancakes and eggs ready. The oven was also preheated, so I put the cinnamon rolls in and set the timer then I gathered two large mugs and a ladle. The hot cocoa steamed as I ladled it into the mugs. The sweet smell of peppermint and strong, earthy cocoa flooded my nostrils and started my mouth salivating. I handed him his mug and filled mine, setting it down on the counter once it was full.

"Leezard," Eyrich called sweetly. I turned to look at him and found a steaming mug, clutched in his hands, raised to my lips. He smiled at me and tilted the mug so I could take a careful sip. It was just on the verge of being hot enough to scald my tongue. The concoction warmed my insides as it filtered down to my stomach. I picked up my mug next.

"Eyrifluff," I cooed at him with a smile and raised my mug to his lips, just as he had done for me. His gaze drifted away from mine after he sipped. I wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or if he was pondering the flavor. He swallowed and grinned.

"It’s lovely, hun," he said, "it’s like a hot, chocolaty candy cane."

"Yup, that’s why it’s my favorite winter drink. It’s a festive, mix of autumn and winter." I set my mug down and took his cheeks into my upper hands, gazing into his eyes for a moment, taking the time to get lost in his warm, bright emerald eyes. Then I kissed him. "Love you, Eyri."

We ate breakfast quickly and in relative silence. I was excited to sit on the couch and start opening presents and I had the feeling that Eyrich was just as excited as I was. All the dishes ended up piled in the sink to be done at a later time. Neither of us wanted to do them right now. I refilled our mugs with my festive holiday hot cocoa and brought them into the living room. Eyrich was on his knees sorting through the modest pile of presents.

"Trying to figure out which one you want to open first?" I set the mugs down on the coffee table and dropped heavily onto the couch and sighed as the cushions molded to me.

"Uhhu, I’ve already got it all figured out!"

"Well, why don’t you set them all up on the table so we can be lazy and open them on the couch," I asked after taking a sip from my mug. The heat of the drink and the faint edge of the alcohol felt wonderful as it traveled down into my gut. The warmth only spread further from there.

"Lazy leezard," Eyrich chided me playfully. I smirked and he started stacking the few boxes on the table; his presents on one side and mine on the other.

"I’m not used to you being so organized," I joked back.

"Humph, whatever," he said sarcastically and rolled his eyes as he set the last box down.

Eyrich stood up and moved to the couch, plopping down next to me before indulging his sweet tooth with my cocoa. He set the mug down and scooted over until he was pressed tight to my side, resting his head on my shoulder. I felt his hand high on my thigh and then his nose pressed against my cheek. "Better not be trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me," he whispered amorously and rubbed my thigh, hand sliding higher than would have been appropriate in good company. I grinned and turned my head, kissing the side of his snout.

"I would never do that, especially not on Christmas."

"Liar," he said, unconvinced, but smiled.

"Only a little," I said huskily and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss didn’t last long and we turned our attention from each other-there would be plenty of time for that later-to the presents neatly stacked before us. We hadn’t gotten each other many things due to more pressing expenses that had occurred during the transition to living together. I had gotten Eyrich a couple more things, simply because I made more money. Plus, after years of being miserly, I decided I wanted to spend more of my money on my friends.

"You’re going first," I said and handed Eyrich the box from the top of the stack. "And it isn’t up for debate. Be a good boy and do as leezard says." Eyrich crossed his arms and pouted. It wasn’t until I left the box on his lap, calmly took a sip of my hot cocoa, and started to tickle him that he relented. Not that he seemed all that upset about going first.

"Fine!"

Eyrich eagerly tore into the flimsy wrapping paper, not even taking the time to notice how well I’d wrapped it; all the creases nearly perfect and symmetrical. The shredded paper fell to the floor in a sad pile, looking like something a new age hipster would call "fine art". A non-descript cardboard box lay beneath the paper in Eyrich’s lap. He flipped it around until he found the end that opened. The box received kinder treatment than the poor snowman on the wrapping paper had. Their coal eyes stared up at us from the floor, seething with contempt. I crushed the paper into a smaller, more disposable size with my foot.

"Scarves," Eyrich announced loudly in excitement and I jumped. He had the two scarves I’d gotten him around his neck, rubbing them between his fingers. "And they’re so soft," he sighed happily, rubbing one against his cheek. The two scarves around him made his face look even more cute and fluffy than normal.

"I got them while I was in Korea. Do you like them? I hope I got good colors," I said. Eyrich grinned at me like I was being a silly idiot and kissed my cheek.

"Of course I like them. I love ‘em and the colors are just right!"

"I’m glad. I can’t exactly take them back and exchange them," I chuckled, retrieving my mug and taking a slow sip.

"You next!" Eyrich held a short-but-large square box out to me. This one had happy looking reindeer crapping on Santa’s sleigh, to the delight of several elves. Charming, I thought with a smirk. I decided to be nice to them and started to unwrap the paper without destroying it. When I glanced over at Eyrich it was obvious he found my stunt incredibly irritating. The next time I glanced at him-after turning the present to carefully peel the tape on the other side-he looked downright infuriated.

"Stop being a dumbzard and open it!"

"I am opening it," I replied calmly, as if I was soothing a cantankerous child. My mischievous grin gave me away, however.

"You’re being a butt on purpose! Just tear it open." He looked like he was about to tear the paper off for me.

"I’m savoring the moment. If I just tear it apart I won’t get to relish the experience. It’s not every day I get to open presents, you know."

"Leezard…" he growled dangerously. Not that I was afraid of anything he could possibly try and do, being bigger and stronger than him. I tore the wrapping paper the rest of the way off in one fluid motion.

"Happy now?"

He perked up and nodded vigorously. "Yes."

"Better be," I muttered and opened the edge of the box that hinged. Something like a picture frame wrapped snugly in bubble wrap came out of the box. My suspicion proved to be spot on as I peeled the bubble wrap free. The plain black back of the frame wasn’t very interesting so I turned it over as I looked at Eyrich’s beaming smile.

I looked down at what the polished, dark-lacquered pine frame held within its borders and stared, unable to avert my gaze.

The gift wasn’t expensive, it wasn’t extravagant, and nobody but me would see its pricelessness. It was a digital painting that Eyrich had done, then professionally printed and custom framed. The piece was simple, but there was something that made it powerful. I could feel my heart beating faster and my throat constricting to hold back a torrent of emotion.

The painting almost looked like a picture we could have taken at a portrait studio, but this had taken time and dedication. In it Eyrich stood behind me with his arms over my shoulders in a loose hug with his head over my shoulder. I had one hand holding his far cheek while the other had a single finger pressed against his nose. My nose touched the side of his snout as we looked deeply into each other’s eyes. The focus wasn’t on our physical interaction, but on our eyes and expressions; unbridled love in our shared, infinitely happy smiles and unabashed affection in our glowing eyes for one another.

This piece said "I love you" in a way that words could not.

"Nalz?" Eyrich’s soft hand rubbed from the top of my head, over the small, pliable spines, and down my neck. I sniffled and looked at him. His eyes looked back into mine, brimming with genuine concern. No words were spoken and I buried my face into the long, velvet fur of his neck. I wrapped my upper arms around him, clutched the picture frame with my lower hands, and clung to him as if he were a life preserver tossed out to save me from drowning in an unrelenting, uncaring sea. My breathing hitched every few breaths as he stroked my head.

"Shh, I’m here, Nalz. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. You’re home and we’re together now. Nothing is going to change that. Not even you waking up."

"I know," I whispered into his loving embrace.

I opened my eyes to total darkness. I knew the answer before I did it, but I still put my arm across the bed next to me just in case. There was nothing there.

And I sighed.

Only a dream.