All I want for Christmas (Kieron)

[Kieron Sharpe]

A low hum of contentment left Kieron's lips as Maebelle fussed with the hair at the nape of his neck, a smile curling his lips as the sensation sent soft shivers down his spine. The discharge of all the tension from earlier was a blessed relief, and Kieron's posture relaxed as he allowed his fingertips to slowly dance along Mae's waistline through the thin fabric of her nightgown. He could never have imagined any way this evening could have been made any better. He had come over without a single clue what to expect. He certainly would never have put any money on it being anything quite so perfect as this.

Maebelle's admission of what her dinner was created from caused a momentary look of regret to cross Kieron's face. Of course there was no way he could have known, and even if he did there was no way he could have made it back, but the knowledge that she had put in so much effort and it had gone to waste was a very saddening one. However, the chuckle that left her lips combined with the warm feeling rising in his chest knowing that she really had gone to that effort for him stopped him from dwelling on it, and he gently returned the kiss that Maebelle claimed. “Well, it smells wonderful. I'm sorry I missed it.”

Then Maebelle went ahead and said that she counted Kieron as her Christmas gift. Oh boy... The Irishman's cheeks flushed scarlet, his eyes widening momentarily and his lips moved soundlessly. His heart thundered in his chest and it suddenly felt very, very warm in that cosy little kitchen. “Hooooo...” Kieron took three attempts to be able to find words willing to force their way past his lips, having to pause for a moment to try to regather himself before trying again.

Kieron attempted to put a hint of humorous bravado in his voice as he spoke, but combined with his flustered joy it came out as a quiet, shy mumbling. “You might wish to see what it is first; it might not be worthy of another kiss.” Very reluctantly Kieron forced his right hand away from its perch on Maebelle's hip, reaching back to pick up the fairly large present and hold it out for Maebelle. “I hope you like it... It's so you never have to be in the dark again.”

[The present]

[Deleted]

Maebelle had been incredibly sad that Kieron had missed out on dinner during Christmas Eve, yet right now it was the last thing on her mind. Sure, she had mentioned it merely seconds earlier, but only to try and make it seem less worse that he had interrupted lunch. Perhaps this was not the best attempt though. Either way, Mae’s appetite was not going to pop up as quickly at the surface as her feelings did, so focusing on the present didn’t interrupt anything. It actually could satisfy her curiosity and it also helped the gardener to peel herself away from his lips which were turning out to become addictive quite fast.

Either way, the second the nurse reached back to pick up the gift, Maebelle took a miniscule step back given the size of the beautifully wrapped present. Of course that broke the contact between them… if only for that moment. “As long as it will not keep you away, I am happy.” With that said, Mae turned and placed the gift down on the counter to make it easier to reveal its content. Her remark referred to his words about the darkness. It made her assume it had something to do with light – that what Kieron tended to avoid. Despite those thoughts, however, it actually took the young woman a couple of counts to figure out what it was.

Heck, she even began to open the box to pluck out the device. “This look awesome.” Mae smiled, casting a glance over her shoulder. “It kind of looks like a water plant.” So, both their interests combined. Part of her actually felt like plugging it in right now, but it wasn’t necessarily that dark in the apartment yet, so she just opted to try it out later that day instead. In the meanwhile eyes drifted over the hot chocolate, but… the gift was worth another kiss. And Kieron was definitely worth more of her attention. “Thank you.” It was why she so effortlessly swung around, taking the required step forward again to peck lips upon his.

“You… don’t have to leave soon, right? I mean, you can if you want or have to. I am really glad that you stopped by and… well, that you like me as well.” The chuckle that followed held a hint of nervousness before her hand randomly patted the man’s chest about twice, only to lovingly settle down a second or three later. “So, um… this-“ Her other hand motioned between them. “It means what I think that it means, right?” Because assumptions were no good.

[Kieron Sharpe]

It took all the self-control he possessed for Kieron to resist closing the slight distance that formed between them as Maebelle stepped back a pace to accept her present. It had taken them so very long to get to this point that he wanted to savour every moment, every second that he was lucky enough to spend in her company. As Maebelle commented on hoping the gift would not keep him away Kieron chuckled softly. “It would take a lot more than that for me to want to stay away.”

Kieron had spent many hours trying to decide what gift to get for Maebelle. At the time he had been convinced that Maebelle was avoiding him and did not want to speak to him after what had happened previously, so he wanted something that showed he wanted no hostility between them but wasn't too... obvious. The lamp had seemed perfect because it was, at the end of the day, just a fancy lamp. But it was also something to light the darkness that Maebelle had said she feared, and it was organic and beautiful in its own way and he had deeply, deeply hoped that she would like it.

As Maebelle unwrapped the parcel Kieron's heart was in his throat, the nurse terrified she would be disappointed or hate it, and the moments of silence as she tried to work out what it was seemed to stretch out into infinity. Thankfully once she had worked it out she did seem rather pleased with it, and Kieron enthusiastically returned the soft peck of a kiss. “You are very welcome; I'm glad you like it.”

To Maebelle's question Kieron smiled warmly, giving a soft shake of his head. “No, I am in no rush to leave. All the fish are fine, and I have nowhere else I need -or want- to be.” The nurse smiled fondly as the hand was rested upon his chest, and when Maebelle asked her second question he gently scooped up her other hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. “If you think that it means that I would very much like to take you out to dinner sometime soon, then yes, I do believe so.”

[Deleted]

Okay, so perhaps that was not exactly what Maebelle meant, but it was enough to satisfy the question. The fact that Kieron was willing to take her out to dinner, to have her by his side while others could see did say more than words could. In turn features lit up, yet she visibly tried to keep herself from grinning like a fool. Instead Mae attempted to limit her excitement, not wanting to scare him off, and a little nod was given. “I would like that very much”, the brown-haired woman mused as relaxed as possible. Not only was she excited… The prospect made her nervous as well.

Retrieving her hand, Mae reached past Kieron again to take his cup of hot chocolate off the table. While she had taken it from his hands before, she now offered it back to him. “Wouldn’t want it to get cold.” The second the nurse was holding it again, the young woman turned to the present and took it off the counter. Curiosity got the best of her and she just had to try it out! She would, however, be considerate towards… her boyfriend? “I am going to plug this in for a second.” Feet were already leading her to the small bathroom as those words flowed from her lips. In there, the light wouldn’t be able to bother Kieron.

So she did as told and then returned to the kitchen as well to finally pay attention to her own hot chocolate again. “Would… you like to stay over for dinner?” Surely she could find some stuff in her freezer. It would not be as extended as what she had cooked on Christmas Eve, but yeah. Maebelle was pretty convinced he would say yes though, in her mind already mulling on all the options.

Who said perfection did not exist? Blue eyes rested on it as a soft smile came to curl her lips. Christmas miracles did happen… even when they were belated.