All I Want for Christmas... (Oriel)

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"Are we almost there?" Phen mumbled, one arm stretched out in front of him as he slowly walked forward. Walking blindfolded would have been hard enough - with his broken leg and wings to keep in mind, Phen was relying heavily on Oriel to keep him from bumping into things or tripping. He had one crutch under his arm to keep too much weight off of his bad leg, and was using it to make sure he wasn't going to catch his foot on anything - not that Oriel would let him, he knew, but it was just instinct.

He had no idea what his boyfriend was planning. All he knew was that he was being led somewhere, he couldn't see, and it was Christmas Eve, which made him think that this was going to be something special (like the blindfolding wasn't clue enough). He'd been spending a lot of time dozing around in their room lately, letting his body rest and complaining about his limbs hurting and wanting to be able to go swim or walk without crutches or something. He was glad, then, that Oriel was making him go out, whatever this turned out to be.

"Orielll," he whined, tilting his face back towards the other boy, wishing he could see his face; he was sure Oriel was grinning at his complaining. "What are you gonna do to meeee?"

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Oriel had a plan. He had no money, no job, couldn't even go off campus to take him anywhere for Christmas but….none of that mattered because he had a plan. It probably wasn't a very good plan, it was cheesy as hell, and it took a lot of persuading and conning of other people(mainly the Cheng twins and some teachers) to set up, but it was still a plan. The best he could come up with given Oriel's restrictions. "Yeah," he replied, trying to hide the excitement in his voice. "We're almost there, just a little more."

Things had been a little difficult for the couple lately, with all the drama that had happened last month, and then with Phoenix breaking his leg and wings earlier this month, they hadn't really had a chance to just do something together. Something special. Sure there was a lot of alone time together, Oriel couldn't leave campus, but Phoenix couldn't easily go anywhere with that leg of his anyway. "Oh, be quiet. It's supposed to be a surprise." Hence the blindfold.

He opened the door to the auditorium. It was dark, just the dim lighting from a few of the stage lights that were left on in preparation. Oriel led him down the aisle then to the side of the stage, where the steps were leading up to it. "Ok, we're here." Oriel pulled off the blindfold. Phoenix would see nothing special except for what looked like a picnic on the center of the down stage, cheesy checkered blanket(where'd he get that?) and everything, even a dumb looking basket. "Surprise?" It was far from over yet, but Oriel wanted to see Phoenix's reaction to this much first.

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Phoenix let a small, playful grumble escape as Oriel told him to be quiet, but didn't whine any more. He was honestly giddy and excited to see just what the hell Oriel was planning; he had no idea what it could be. He'd been a bit bummed that they couldn't go out and have a nice dinner or anything, but honestly, as long as he was with Oriel, he was happy. They didn't need money and expensive things.

He heard the squeak of the door, then carefully stepped forward as Oriel led him into wherever they were going, his free hand still reaching forward like a dork. He took the stairs carefully, leaning heavily on Oriel for support, until they finally stopped and Oriel let him see. Phoenix blinked into the dim light, letting his eyes adjust as he took in the scene. It was simple, but obviously lovingly planned and set up, and Phen giggled as he turned to look at Oriel. "You got the auditorium just for us and everything?" he breathed, tilting his face up to give him a soft peck before looking back at the scene. "This is so sweet of you," he said giddily.

He was unaware that there would be more to come. Phen was happy just to have this special time for the two of them. He gave Oriel a loving nuzzle before he began to hobble up the steps to the stage, pausing as he waited to make sure the other boy was following. "The twins aren't gonna come out and flour me are they?" he joked, clearly remembering their first day after trying the theater club.

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Yup. This had taken a lot of planning, and a lot of coaxing from some teachers to be allowed to do. How many teachers would let a trouble-maker free access of the school auditorium on Christmas Eve when it was supposed to be kept under lock and key? Well, apparently somebody thought that the Cheng twins were chaperone enough to allow it. Which was fortunate for Oriel.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Wasn't easy, but…yeah." Oriel was trying to not be sheepish and meek, but Phoenix's excitement was completely worth it to go through such trouble. Hell, if they stopped now, Oriel would be satisfied just for putting that smile on his face. But….there was still more to come.

Oriel crossed the stage and flopped down on the blanket, folding his legs into a pretzel in front of him. "Ah…no. They ain't gonna hit us with that tonight." Which definitely hinted that they were involved somehow. But it was in a good way this time. "Sit down," he invited his lover, holding his hands out to help his boyfriend down onto the blanket. "We're just getting started."

Once Phoenix was fully seated, Oriel began unloading the meal he'd packed. It was….simple. Sandwiches, chips, some fruit. There was a bottle of sparkling grape juice and two wine glasses. Oriel wasn't about to break any rules in that department, at least. Again, it was simple, but homey. At least, that's what Oriel was going for.

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Phen really had no idea how Oriel had managed to pull this off. He hoped he hadn't gone to too much trouble - Phoenix was a simple soul, he didn't need a lot, but damn, he felt like the most special person in the world right now. He wished he'd thought of something nice to do for Oriel too, but he'd only gotten him a gift, and was planning on snuggling up and having a musical marathon or something with his lover tomorrow night. He really was a simple person. Phen hoped it would be enough.

"You're the best," he told Oriel firmly, his voice filled with affection. He wanted to just hold his boyfriend and kiss him and shower him with love and praise, but he could do that later. Right now, he was going to enjoy every moment of this night so that even his bad memory would never let him forget it.

He followed after the boy with his one crutch, head tilting curiously at the reply about the twins. "They gonna do somethin' else?" he asked, looking around as though expecting them to pop out at any moment. He sat his crutch aside and took Oriel's hands, easing down carefully on his good leg with his other awkwardly stretched out until he was sitting comfortably. His giddy smile hadn't left his face despite the small trouble. He scooted over so he was right next to his lover, giving him another kiss on the cheek as he watched him pull out the food. "You're spoilin' me so much," he breathed.

It all looked delicious, even though it was simple. Phen was practically thrumming with excitement, glad he hadn't eaten yet. "This is all so perfect," he told Oriel, forcing himself not to tear up. No one had ever done anything quite like this for him before. Rue had done a lot, but... Not like this. He was a little overwhelmed. He took the food as it was offered to him, tearing open a bag of chips and popping one into his mouth, holding up another to offer Oriel. "I had no idea you were gonna do this," he told him, smiling sheepishly. "I thought we were just gonna watch movies tomorrow or somethin'."

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Hearing the honest praise fall from Phoenix's lips made all of his efforts to make this a special night worthwhile. As it was, Oriel himself was easily grinning from ear to ear, in anticipation of Phoenix's response the the bigger surprise he had planned. He shot his eyes away smugly. "Maaybe. Ain't nothing bad though." The Cheng twins had been pretty willing and excited over the proposition when he approached them for help. Right now, they were just standing by, waiting for Oriel's signal.

"You're my boyfriend. It's my right to spoil you." And he loved doing it. If Oriel had a million dollars, he's spend it all on stuff to make Phoenix happy.

Oriel took a sandwich of his own and started nibbling on it. There was plenty there, he'd packed a lot, even though it was super simple and cheap, but he still wanted it to last as long as possible. "We can still do that too," he said with a smile as he chewed the bread and meat.

His eyes flitted up to the light/projection room. Was it too soon? Nah, it was probably fine. Oriel leaned in and gave Phoenix a peck on the cheek. "Ready for the grand finale?" he asked. Oriel barely waited for a response before holding his hand up to wave at the two figures unseen in the projection room. The lights grew dimmer around them and a light streamed out from across the auditorium onto the giant screen at the back of the stage.

After another moment, the video started playing. "You…you said you wanted to go to New York for Christmas," he uttered quietly. "Since we can't really go nowhere, thought I could just bring it here." He looked up to Phoenix with a meek smile. Was it too much? Probably. But Oriel was happy.

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Phoenix gave Oriel a playfully suspicious look, his eyes darting around the auditorium, trying to find where those little troublemakers might be. "If you saay so," he said slowly. Of course he trusted Oriel, but he didn't trust the ridiculous boys one bit. Not since they'd attacked Oriel and him with that flour the first day of theater club. Even so, he was pretty sure nothing could ruin this night, not now.

He smiled wide enough so that his cheeks dimpled, feeling all warm and fuzzy and so very loved he could nearly burst. "I wanna spoil you too," he said quietly. He'd have to think of something to do for Oriel like this someday. Maybe on his birthday? He'd think of something.

The food was great, as Phoenix had expected, and he dug eagerly into his sandwich as Oriel did, keeping his head rested against his boyfriend's shoulder as he chewed. He'd definitely put on a few pounds over the month after Oriel got back from the hospital, and his accident - there was even a little chub that sat above the hem of his jeans that he was determined to turn into muscle or something once he could start swimming again. "I'd like that," he replied, beaming. "We could watch Fiddler on the Roof, if you want." The first musical Phen had ever seen.

He was nibbling on another chip when Oriel mentioned a grand finale, and he looked around, wondering what on earth he was talking about. "S-sure," he stammered, eyes wide. Oriel waved - to the twins? - and Phoenix watched as the screen came to life, swallowing and setting his food down as he watched with awe.

It was... Perfect. Phen's eyes were glued to the video until Oriel spoke again, and he looked over to his Squishy, his eyes wet and shiny in the dim light. "This is amazing," he replied softly, tucking his good leg up against Oriel's and pressing himself into the boy's side, staring back up at the screen. His arms wrapped around Oriel's nearest. He continued watching the video, only breaking his gaze to look at Oriel every now and then, his features bright with happiness and content. "I love this. I love you," he murmured some ways in, nuzzling his forehead into Oriel's neck. "You... I'm so lucky t'have you." His voice cracked a little, and he cleared it, blinking rapidly.

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Oriel hadn't needed to do much convincing to get the twins to help him. He was going to offer them kisses for their trouble(since it seemed like they really wanted them) but apparently they were hopeless romantics and became more excited than Oriel had anticipated.

He grinned at his lovely lover. "You do spoil me," he said simply. He remembered his conversation with Tak and her encouragement to let Phoenix know just how much he appreciated the boy. Oriel…well, he hoped produce the guts he needed to do that. He was already reaching his limit with doing the embarrassing sentimental things with a straight face.

"Ok," Oriel agreed with a smile. "Or something else, there's some holiday ones out there too." Like White Christmas, Holiday Inn, or even The Muppet Christmas Carol. But Oriel was good for whatever Phoenix wanted.

And this was definitely going to be the cheesy part. Oriel leaned himself in with Phoenix, sharing in his warmth, and watched the screen as it panned over the most brilliant holiday sites in New York, starting with the Rockafeller Center Christmas Tree and the ice rink below. Then it went to the Macy's windows. Oriel uselessly pointed at the screen. "They actually change that every year." This video was from 2010. That was the last year he got to see it before coming to Hammel. Oriel continued to point out other sites, explaining things, his favorites, small tidbits of some things he did around certain parts of the city that showed up.

He pulled Phoenix in closer. "I love you…" he said quietly, tilting his head down over Phoenix's. "…you can't imagine how much…how glad I am…that you're here with me…." Shit, now Oriel was getting sentimental and his own voice was starting to crack. All he could do was pull Phoenix in even closer, wrapping both arms around him tight. He took a deep breath and let it out shakily.

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Phoenix fidgeted with his fingers, staring down into his lap. He didn't feel like he spoiled Oriel all that much. He mostly just sat around and complained or got hurt, he thought. And fawned like a mother hen over Oriel whenever he was the least bit hurt. "As soon as I get a job, I'm gonna spoil you even more," he promised. "You're... You're gonna get fat from all the danishes I'm gonna buy you." Yep, once he had an income, Oriel was going to get spoiled rotten. Just another incentive for Phen to find work.

He smiled at Oriel's agreement. "We can watch all of them," he giggled. "Until I fall asleep in your lap or somethin'." He'd fallen asleep during movies before - not because they were boring, but because he was just so warm and content cuddled up with Oriel under a pile of blankets that he just dozed off. He couldn't help it.

This was awesome, like getting his own tour of the place where Oriel grew up. It gave him an even better picture of the places that Oriel spent his time, the experiences he had and the life he'd lived. While Phen still wanted to go there in person with his Squishy and see it all for himself, for now, he was content to watch the images on screen. "It looks like it's really beautiful this time of the year," he said softly. He swallowed, glancing up at Oriel. "Do... Do you miss it?" Phen didn't often think of his own hometown - mostly because of the people his memories were full off. He loved the city itself, though, and pined to go back, even if he wouldn't admit it. He really should call his mom...

His cheeks heated up as Oriel pulled him in close, and he let out a soft breath hearing those words pass through his boyfriend's lips. No matter how many times he said it, Phen would never take them for granted. As he continued, Phen's eyes teared up again, until a few small trickles escaped to run down his cheeks. "I'm so glad, too," he whispered, burying his face into Oriel's chest. He didn't know what else to say. "I... I'm so glad I'm not alone this Christmas," he mumbled into Oriel's shirt, looking up with wet eyes. "Th... Thank you... For lovin' me...." His voice broke, and he smothered his face back against Oriel's shirt, which might be feeling a bit damp soon.

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"What? You going to tie me to a chair and stuff me silly?" He wouldn't mind that, especially if it was Phoenix doing it. "Gonna be my sugar momma?" Oriel leaned in a little closer and leered expectantly. Oriel'd spent most of his life taking care of himself and others. The few times he'd been taken care of by Phoenix had been more than nice. Just the memory and the prospect of more made him smile.

"Alright," he said with a nod. "We'll have a marathon. All night. We'll drive my roommates so crazy with all the musical numbers, maybe that'll finally get 'em to move out." Then they could call the whole dorm their own.

Watching the video really did dredge up deep feeling of nostalgia. Of yearning. As terrible as his life had been back then, as horrible as his fosters were, as scary as some of the people he hung out with were, Oriel still missed the city. He was homesick. Especially around this time of year. It was easy to forget about everything wrong in his life when wandering a city that was so full of life and holiday spirit. "Yeah…" he said softly. It was hard not to cry, seeing these memories in front of him. Oriel could already feel the lump starting to form in his throat.

"Yeah…" Oriel might not have been physically alone during past Christmases, but this was the first time it'd felt so special. Even more so knowing that his presence was so appreciated by Phoenix. If Phoenix thought that he was worthless, well…Oriel felt less so knowing that Phoenix needed him like he did. He didn't know how much tighter he could hold his lover, but if there was a way then Oriel found it, tightening his arms around those thin shoulders. Oriel fell silent, unable to think of any more words, but just enjoying the sound of their breathing.

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"Maybe," Phoenix replied with a very Oriel-like grin, his lips curling up in the corners. "Would you like that?" As his boyfriend leaned in, Phen held his ground, staring at him boldly before darting forward and smacking a quick kiss against his lips. As soon as he retreated, he grabbed a strawberry and stuck it in Oriel's mouth, snickering. "We can start now." Phen didn't know if he would actually have it in him to stuff Oriel until he was nearly ready to pop like the boy did to him, but he damn well could try.

"Sounds good t'me," he beamed, imagining what they could do if they had an entire dorm to themselves. He could have more room to run and hide when they were playing some of their chasing games... "Man... I can't wait until I have my own apartment so we don't have t'worry about other people." Of course, by 'my', he really meant 'our', because surely Oriel would want to live with him... Right?

He wasn't blind to the look on Oriel's face - even if the boy hadn't answered his question, Phen would know. He lifted his chin and nuzzled his forehead against Oriel's cheek, squeezing him softly. "Don't worry, we're gonna go back there. Soon," he promised. He didn't know how, or when, but he was gonna make it happen. Somehow. "And... I'm gonna take you t'visit Seattle too," he added. "We'll see the Space Needle, and Pike's Market, and... And you can meet my mom...." He trailed off, his eyes going sad. "I... I should call her."

He fell silent then, too, tracing shapes against the back of Oriel's hand with his finger. Phoenix felt Oriel squeeze him tighter, and shifted to clamber himself clumsily into his boyfriend's lap, his broken leg sticking out awkwardly to the side. He looped his arms around the boy's neck and settled against his chest, taking comfort in the steady rhythm of Oriel's heart beating. "I could stay like this forever..." he murmured, eyes drifting closed. If he wasn't careful, he might just fall asleep then and there.

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"I might," Oriel admitted. He wasn't sure how successful Phoenix would be though. Unlike his skinny lover, Oriel had quite the healthy appetite and could handle quite a bit of food at once. He was, after all, a growing boy. Still growing, he'd noticed as of late. Oriel popped his mouth open to accept the strawberry, his eyes crinkling up with a cheesy kind of mirth. He chomped down on the strawberry and stuffed it into his cheeks. "I don't think I packed enough for you to do that." Though he was still interested in seeing what Phoenix had in mind.

If they had the whole dorm to themselves….well, Oriel would have turned at least one of the rooms into his own personal dungeon. That is, if he could afford it, but Oriel could probably create some makeshift devices if he really put his mind to it.

My own apartment? What?

Oriel sort of got what Phoenix was saying, if they had their own apartment then they wouldn't be bothered by anyone else, but that just reminded Oriel of the reality that was upon them.

Phoenix was graduating….he was, definitely because Oriel was urging him to, but when he did…

Oriel would be left at Hammel alone, without him…

No, it'd be fine, he tried to reassure himself. Oriel would be able to see him whenever he wanted. Heck, he might even get permission to just live with Phoenix while Oriel was still attending Hammel, that was ok, right?

Right?

Oriel was hiding the anxiety that this sudden realization had brought upon him. "Yeah…" he agreed softly. "I…I want to take you with me. Show you everything. This dumb video doesn't really do it justice, it's really so much more beautiful." Oriel listened as Phoenix told of his own hometown and his mother. "Mmm….I'd like that." He brushed Phen's hair and planted a kiss on his temple. "You should. She's probably worried."

If Phoenix fell asleep there in Oriel's arms like that, Oriel would probably fall asleep soon after. He enjoyed holding his love too much to not feel completely and utterly relaxed like he was then. And he couldn't very well let Phoenix drift off by himself, right? Oriel closed his eyes, stroking Phoenix's hair and running circled over his arm. "Yeah…"

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Yep... It'd be a challenge alright. Phoenix would have to see if he was up for it. Still, Oriel looked adorable with his cheeks all stuffed with fruit, and Phoenix poked one, chuckling. "Well... I'll do it when you're least expecting it, then," he declared. Yeah, he definitely would....

It was true though... Phoenix was well on his way to be graduating this year. He just needed to finish up his powers training and pass his classes, and he'd be set. It was pretty terrifying to think about, which was why he realized he needed to get a job as soon as possible so he could afford to live on his own. Otherwise, what the hell was he gonna do?

Oriel would still be here... Phoenix would have to find a place close by, so Oriel could come live with him and still attend Hammel. That... That would be okay, right? There wouldn't be a problem in that? Otherwise he was going to get incredibly lonely at night, not to mention starve without Oriel's cooking....

He'd think about this when he got there. For now, he was content.

"I bet it is," he replied softly, imagining walking those streets himself, with Oriel narrating everything. "I can't wait." Because it was going to happen. "Next Christmas, at the latest. Maybe spring or summer break if we can afford it." And if they were allowed to, of course. "I promise." He nuzzled himself into the crook of Oriel's neck again. "Mmm... Good," he murmured. "You're gonna really like it there, I'm sure." He peeked up at the mention of his mom, and sighed. "Yeah... I'm sure she is," he mumbled. "... She'll wanna talk t'you too, you know." Knowing his mother, she'd want to make sure Oriel was treating him well.

Phen was definitely gonna fall asleep if he stayed like this for much longer. With food in his stomach and Oriel's warmth around him, it was just as nice as being in their room in bed. "I'm... Sleepy..." he mumbled, and gave a big yawn before smacking his lips and settling down even more. Soon enough, his breath began to even out, and his body relaxed as he started to drift off.