19727/Christmas Cocoa

Christmas Cocoa
Date of Scene:	21 December 2024
Location:	Dane Whitman's Home
Synopsis:	Dane gets what he wants for Christmas.
Cast of Characters:	Dane Whitman, Sersi

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Dane Whitman has posed:
It was Christmas morning in Happy Harbor. A fresh blanket of snow had fallen on the property, covering the lush green lawns, and smooth pavement that brought vehicles to the main house, as well as the detached buildings. It may not have had all the creature comforts of Castle Garrett in Washington, but it was a far easier commute.

Upstairs, still blissfully asleep in the master bedroom, was none other than Dane Whitman. It'd have come as quite the shock if someone else were there, like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. Between those two, and a handful of others, they practically owned the entire state. But this belonged to Dane Whitman, who had inherited it along his family, for he was descendant from an ancient royal line.

Eyes working their way to open, he looked up, his vision clearing as he took in the ceiling. He swallowed, feeling his mouth a little dry. He licked about, trying to coax some saliva with the day, and turned in the bed, the movement tugging on the sheets, as he glanced at the clock to see the time, 7:52 AM. He had slept in, quite a bit.

He wore a set of timeless dark blue silk pajamas, which had a thin red line around the collar, and down the middle of his torso. The buttons were also red, mirroring the look of the Black Knight. There was a red trim around each sleeve, and one marking the pocket over his right breast. The bottoms matched the top, with a red line around his ankles.

His hair, usually prim and proper, had taken on a wild, untamed look, in the night. He could have jumped out of bed, attack the day, but sometimes, it was nice to just lay there, relax, and let the day come to him.

Sersi has posed:
It might take him a moment, as he was just waking and getting his bearings. He was alone in the bed. That had not been the case through the night but now the warm body that had been next to him and the cold feet that had been firmly planted against him for warmth during the night were gone. The covers were still pulled up in place but no sign of the woman who had been there. Until he looked around the room.

Then he would spot her, standing by the French style doors that led out to the small balcony outside. They doors looked out onto the grounds, giving a lovely view of the gardens in the back. Though they were covered in snow at the moment, it was still a beautiful view.

Sersi was there, dressed in lovely green silk nightgown he had seen the night before. It had spaghetti style straps and fell to her upper thigh. The sides were panels of lace, giving a risque view of skin. On her feet were a pair of simple slippers in a matching shade. Over it all she had tossed a white long-sleeved shirts. He might recognize it as the shirt was his. Her hair was down around her shoulders but it looked as if she may have brushed it already so no morning hair this time. Not that he had never seen it. He knew she didn't wake up perfect, as no one truly did.

Hearing him stir, she turned to look his direction and that's when he might see she had a cup in her hand with some steaming liquid. On a nearby table sat a tea service, though there were two separate pots present. One was for tea, and the other was what she was sipping upon, hot chocolate. Not that store bought type that was thin as water. This was thick and creamy, clinging to the surface of the cup when she took a sip, only to slowly slide back down within when the cup was righted.

She met Dane's eyes and her face lit up instantly with a smile. "Good morning, love. Happy Christmas."

Dane Whitman has posed:
A hand reached out to caress the woman who had lain beside him in the night, only to find it empty. He turned his head, a momentary look of sadness playing upon his features, as he got his bearings. As he took in the sight of Sersi, his lips parted, and he inhaled slowly. Yes, it was a lovely view of the gardens. He was fairly certain that he had a garden. He remembered it. But right now, his world began and ended with Sersi.

Ultron could have been standing to the side and he would not have noticed, nor cared. Pushing himself up, and having to awkwardly half turn, his eyes never leaving her own, to plop his pillow behind him, so that he sat up in bed, creating more of a crumple of the covers as he pulled it up into his lap.

"Love the shirt," he said, remarking of the one he had been wearing the night before, which she had slipped over the nightie. It amused him how her top was now covered with two layers, and those legs were mostly on show. Of course, it was warm enough inside that it was no problem. "I see Santa brought me what I asked for."

Sersi has posed:
"Did he now?" came the question, a little mischievious smile playing at the corners of her lips. She picked up the tray and brought it over toward the bed, setting it on the end so that it wouldn't get toppled immediately. Her cup was placed upon it for the moment.

She moved to climb into the bed. Directly over him, of course. Why would she walk all the way to the other side? To say she knew what she was doing would be the understatement of the century. She didn't try to hide it from him as she moved past his legs to her side then folded down the covers so she could slip beneath then next to him. And once there, her cold feet immediately came to rest against his calf closest to her, seeking that warmth he provided.

"If that's the case, then I suppose I don't need to share your actual presents." She leaned over to claim a small, but heartfelt, kiss, before snuggling in to his side. "There were quite a few though the most important one is in your bedside table, just there." She nodded in that direction and peeked up at him from her comfy spot, obviously waiting to see if he would be able to resist temptation. For the present.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Yeah, I asked him if I could see you smile, first thing Christmas Day, though, I would dearly love to see that very same smile every day hereafter." Watching her move, his eyes roamed her figure, and the way she balanced that tray before setting it on the end table, his side end table. That seemed odd to him, right up until he saw what she was doing.

"Oh," he said, a look of surprise mixing with appreciation for her efforts as she climbed over him to get to her side of the bed. He had no complaints about that, none at all. "Someone's in a slinky mood this morning." He turned his head, watching her slip in, and when she immediately applied those cold feet to his warm calf, he shivered slightly, "ooh, I see you're trying to rob me of my warmth."

He quickly slipped an arm around her, providing further warmth as he brought her closer to him. "But, but, I like presents. And I have a few for you down stairs under the tree." Returning her kiss, he thought about the bedside table drawer, and what might be there, but instead, he leaned in for another kiss, "it's been a long day," he mock yawned, "perhaps we should go back to sleep."

Sersi has posed:
"Sleep? On Christmas morning?" The tone was wounded that he would even suggest such a thing. There was a little huff of air, mock irritation at its best as she shook her head. "We will have none of that. We can sleep tonight after we have had a day of presents and chocolate and overeating on a Christmas ham." Then there was a pause as she tilted her head. "Or do you prefer Turkey? We can always change it." The old fashioned way. At least, for Sersi.

She snuggled back in beside him and smiled a bit, peeking up through her lashes at him as she molded against his side. All her curves fit his edges perfectly, like puzzle pieces meant to be together.

"Though since you are not going to play along properly. I insist you open your gift in the bed table."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"I didn't really think that we'd get much sleep," he offered back with a glint in his eye. But that was broken by that little huff of air, "were you always this adorable, or did you study with Tibetan monks?" He chuckled softly as she took charge, telling him in no uncertain terms what would and would not be happening today. "I actually prefer lamb myself, but turkey is traditional."

He molded himself against her when she snuggled back in so close. He really didn't want to leave her side, even for a moment. This just felt right, it felt perfect. "You really are going to make me slip away, aren't you?"

He turned his head to the table, then back to her. With their positioning now, he kissed the crown of her head as she was more against his chest than side by side. "Fine," he says, giving in, and began to pull away reluctantly.

Reaching over for the drawer, he grabbed the handle, sliding it out to find...

Sersi has posed:
"You find Tibetan monks adorable?" A slow blink after she asked that. "Should I be concerned? I am not shaving my head and I look horrible in orange and yellow so, get that idea out of your head immediately." Just in case it was in there. Which likely it was not but she wanted to be sure there was no confusion on his part.

"Oh stop being a big baby. You just have to reach over, not even leave the bed." Since he was making such a big deal of having to lean over to the side and open a drawer. Sersi sat up a little bit so she could watch his face though.

In the drawer was a small, black, felt box, though it was thin, like those that might hold a necklace or bracelet. Atop it was a red bow just stuck there and not interfering. Once he was back in the bed with it and flipped open the top, within he would find a lump of coal. But Sersi quickly held up her hand, bringing a finger to his lips to ask him to hold his thoughts before she finished.

From beneath her pillow, she pulled out a set of keys on a keyring. He would recognize them. They were his. Then she singled out a specific key and held the lot up by it. It was the key to his home.

Then she brought her free hand down from his lips toward the box he held. A touch of her finger to the coal. Immediately it shifted into a duplicate of the key she was holding.

Then she gave him a smile that showed all the love in her heart for him. "You've asked dozens of times. This is long overdue. Though I admit to being a tad afraid what it will mean for us, I do not want to continue the path we had been on. Thus, my answer is Yes. I will move in with you." A drop of the eyes, a moment of doubt in her tone as she peeked back at him. "If the offer still stands, of course."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"I'm glad that you're not shaving your head, but respectfully, I disagree. You look amazing in orange and yellow. You look amazing in every other color under the sun, but that's beside the point." He knew that she favored green most of the time, though sometimes wore red too. It was part of the reason he had bought that nightie for her that she had on under his shirt right now.

Picking up the black felt box, he brought it back towards the center of the bed, so that she could see him open it, as he figured this was important to her. Finding a lump of coal had him confused, raising one eyebrow and giving her a sideways glance. He could imagine she might transmutate it into something, or maybe this was a joke. But he definitely looked a little sad to be given coal.

Before he could look too sad, he was smirking as her finger came to his lips, shushing any potential protest. He watched in earnest as she pulled out the key ring, and brought the house key into focus.

God, that smile she gave him. She really was a goddess. It wasn't even hyperbole. He was almost tearing up as he gazed upon the warmth she was radiating right now.

He had asked, even as recently as last night, on Christmas Eve. It had probably taken all of her strength to tease him with another deflection. "I promise to be the same man you dated, to not see this as sign that I can finally let myself go, and to welcome you, further into my life, and permanently into... our home."

Sersi has posed:
"Our home." The way she said it was almost like it was the most wonderful thing on the planet. She shifted then, rolling toward him so that she could lean against him as she brought her face up to his for a kiss. His keys were set aside onto the bedside table.

Then she snuggled in with him and leaned up to kiss him in earnest. And unless he declined the obvious offer, they wouldn't be getting out of bed until much later. And no sleep would be involved.

At some point in the following hour or more, the tea tray would hit the floor. It would wait...