A/N: So, this is fluff. Absolute, total holiday fluff and I have no regrets. It is in the Now and There sphere, but I don't think you need to read that first to enjoy this.
Whatever holiday you may celebrate this winter season, I wish you the very best. May you each be well, be happy and safe. And may this little tale bring a smile or two.
Disclaimer: Not mine and not beta'd.
The tip of her nose is cold.
That is the first thing that Naomi senses as she starts to awaken.
The next thing that she senses is warmth. A soft, cozy warmth that envelops her from toes to, well, almost nose. She begins to snuggle further into the source of the blissful heat only to be stilled by a murmured, "Mmmph."
That wakes her up in the flicker of a heartbeat. But, but unlike on so many mornings in her past, this awakening, and the presence of a woman lying sleepily beside her, is not unwelcome.
It still takes her by surprise sometimes to realize that it is Emily who lies tucked against her, arms and legs entangled. But it is the very best kind of surprise.
Naomi smiles at the image they must present with the tiny twin as the "big spoon." But she loves it. She loves being held like that by Emily. She loves the softness of Emily's skins against her own and the soft puffs of breath that drift across her neck just below her ear. She loves how Emily's hand almost always winds up clinging loosely to her lover's breast (and how utterly unapologetic Emily is about that). But most of all, Naomi loves the simple fact that Emily is here, and that they are facing the start and end of each day together, and in love.
That is all that Naomi wants or needs.
This new-found satisfaction on Naomi's part has, unfortunately, led to some minor friction in recent days as Emily kept pressing her for Christmas gift ideas. Naomi's complete inability to come up with a single hint was deemed "not very bloody helpful" by her increasingly cranky lover.
Naomi could have come up with something, she knows. She could have pointed out some trinket or token just for the sake of it - a necklace or a wittily sloganed t-shirt or a CD from Emily's latest musical discovery. But Naomi has never been one for exchanging gifts just because she is supposed to. Christmas was never really a big deal in her family, after all, what with Gina's propensity to explore a different religion or philosophy every year or so, with none of them overly invested in the rites of Christmas. And Naomi has always hated consumption for consumption's sake. So there they are: Naomi stubbornly insisting that she is perfectly happy as is, and Emily just as stubbornly insisting, in her adorably not-remotely-ferocious way, that no gift for Christmas simply will not do.
Despite this, Naomi really has been no help at all to the rather elf-like twin (and Naomi is SO glad that Emily can't read her thoughts right now!) snoring lightly beside her. She should be more contrite about that, but Emily has been absolutely adorable as she tried not to show her growing desperation that Naomi really can't deny that it has been more than a little bit entertaining.
It's not fair either, because Naomi has known for weeks exactly what she intends to give Emily for Christmas.
Nope. It's really not fair at all.
Naomi's musings are interrupted in the most luscious way, with the press of warm kisses to the nape of her neck.
"Mmmm. Good morning, Naoms."
Naomi's heart melts into a puddle at the sound of the gravelly, half-asleep voice mumbling gently into her ear.
"Happy Christmas, Ems."
The reaction is immediate. Emily bounces upright onto her knees, hair wild with sleep and body gloriously naked from their adventures of the night before. Her eyes are brilliant with excitement, and the smile on her face could brighten the darkest night.
This, Emily just like this, is everything. This is better than any gift. This is better than anything that Naomi had ever even imagined before the wondrous creature that is Emily came barrelling into her life. This is all that she craved on those endless nights when they were apart. This is all that she can imagine ever truly needing to be happy in the days and nights to come. Naomi's joy more than rivals that of her lover, although with a different cause, and spills out of her in unrestrained laughter.
The day won't be perfect. They have command performances at both the Fitch and Campbell residences in Bristol in the afternoon and evening respectively, so they will have to run to catch the train by noon. But before then, they have the morning together, just the two of them and Naomi intends to savour every blessed second of it.
It is their first Christmas morning together in their flat, and their first together since they reunited. Neither has, nor will, acknowledge that fact. But it makes these first few hours together before they have to rejoin the rest of the world truly special to both of them.
Emily launches into action first, hopping off the side of the bed and sprinting in all her naked glory for the adjacent loo, squealing as her warm feet hit the chilly wood floor. Naomi laughs again, utterly taken by the wondrous and child-like joy that Emily embodies in moments like this. God she loves that woman.
Just moments later, the twin is back, bouncing on the foot of the bed and exhorting Naomi to move her lazy arse so that they can have breakfast. They had hit the shops the day before, choosing all their favourite bits and bites for their Christmas morning feast: the freshest, butter-iest croissants they could find, wonderfully stinky cheeses and mini quiches, Belgian waffles and veggie sausages, and for the piece de resistance, fresh squeezed orange juice and a quite decent bottle of champagne. They mingle together in the kitchen slicing this and warming that, the champagne and orange having received the earliest attention, of course. In no time, they are sprawled with their feast on a blanket on the floor in front of their tiny tree. It is lit, of course, small white and red lights twinkling merrily as Christmas Carols echo softly across the room.
They drink and kiss and eat and laugh on their little blanket until their bellies are full and all that remains of the assembled food are the crumbs.
"This is just lovely, Naoms. Thank you."
Naomi leans forward to bring her lips to Emily's once more. "I agree, and thank you, too, Ems."
By silent consent they do not clear the dishes right away. They both shift (less than gracefully) until they are leaning up against the edge of the sofa, touching from shoulders to shins with hands loosely linked. They soak up the peacefulness and the music and the lights.
"This is what true paradise is, you know. It's not about religion or money or power or any of that shite. It's about you and me. Right here. Right now. This is what it is really all about. Loving, and being loved, and appreciating each other. It's these small, quiet moments that show us how truly amazing blessed we really are. At least, that's how it seems to me."
Emily's words go straight to Naomi's heart. In that split second Naomi thinks she knows exactly how the Grinch feels when his heart grows three sizes at the end of the program. She pulls Emily in closer, pressing a heart-felt kiss to her head. "I think you are very wise, Emily Fitch, and quite right, too."
They stretch the idyllic moment as long as they can, but eventually time ticks inexorably past and they have to think about getting ready to head to the train station.
"I guess we should start clearing up," Emily sighs.
"Yeah. I suppose. But before we do, do you want to exchange our gifts? Or were you thinking we'd take them to Bristol?"
Emily shifts to her knees excitedly and turns to face Naomi. "Gifts now! Definitely!"
She immediately dives under the tree, scrounging through the small pile of packages assembled there until she finds the one she is looking for. It is big, probably the biggest in the pile, but it is oddly light as well. The twin hands it over to Naomi with a big smile.
Naomi takes the parcel, beautifully wrapped in red and green, with a big gold bow. She carefully sets is beside her so she can reach under the tree for Emily's gift. She finds the (much) smaller parcel, wrapped in a brilliant night-blue with a silver ribbon, and passes it across to her lover.
"There you go, Ems. Happy Christmas."
Naomi watches like a hawk as Emily begins to carefully unpeel the tape that is holding the wrapping together. She has had this planned for weeks, but that does not make it any less nerve-wracking to watch the plan come to fruition. Naomi's eyebrows rise questioningly when Emily stops and looks up at Naomi from below her fringe.
"Um. Actually. Why don't you open yours first, Naoms?"
There is something in Emily's voice that Naomi can't quite place, but then again, she is a little preoccupied. And she is not at all interested in going first. She really wants to see Emily open her present.
"That's alright, luv. I'm happy to watch you open yours. Go on. And feel free to tear the wrapping to shreds if you want."
Emily quirks her head to the side, as if deciding whether or not to push the matter. Then her face brightens as the obvious solution occurs to her.
"Why don't we open them together?"
That is not exactly what Naomi was hoping for, but she knows that she cannot object much more without it becoming obvious that something is going on. So, she agrees, with a nod and a somewhat strained smile. At the nod, Emily shifts her attention back to, once again, carefully peeling off the tape, centimetre by agonizing centimetre. It is probably a good thing that Naomi has to focus on unwrapping on her own gift or she might be tempted to rip apart Emily's just to hurry the twin along.
Strangely, it almost seems as though Emily is going even more slowly. It is as if she is trying to be sure that Naomi opens her gift first. But that is crazy. Emily loves getting gifts. Naomi works her way through the packing to open the box beneath, only to find… another box. She pulls that one out and begins opening it just as Emily finally frees one end of the wrapping on her parcel. Naomi gets the second box open and finds… another box. She groans and tosses a wad of wrapping paper at Emily. "You git. How many more of these do I have to get through?"
Emily just giggles with glee, her excitement growing with each newly opened box. "Just a few more. It'll be worth it, I promise."
Naomi shakes her head and drops her fringe to hide her smile. God, she loves that woman so fucking much!
Things continue much the same for a few moments longer, with Naomi opening three more boxes in succession, while Emily finally manages to remove the last of the paper from her gift. The two women sit, tossing surreptitious glances to monitor each other's progress, until finally, there is nothing left to do but to open the two small boxes that sit before them.
Carefully, oh-so-carefully, they each do just that, though Naomi cheats and closes the lid of her gift before she sees what lies inside.
The silence that follows the reveal of Emily's present is deafening. It is overwhelming. It is wonderful.
"Naoms? Is this… is this what I think it is?" Her voice quivers as she speaks, and she can hardly breathe due to the anticipation of Naomi's reply.
"Yes, Ems. It is. If you want it to be, that is."
The lovers' eyes catch as they each hold their breath.
Naomi reaches forward to grasp the small object that is nestled gently in the package of Emily's gift.
"I want to marry you, Emily Fitch. Not just one day, but now, soon. Will you say yes?"
Tears spring instantly to the twin's eyes and her lips tremble with emotion. But her voice is strong and clear when she replies.
"Yes. Absolutely fucking yes!"
Emily vaults into Naomi's lap, flinging her arms around her lover's neck and nearly kissing the life right out of her. She hops up and down so hard on Naomi's lap in her excitement that the blonde has to grab her by the ass and hold her down to avoid thigh damage. That doesn't stop the kissing though.
Finally Naomi pulls back far enough to catch her lover's eye. She holds up the one of a kind silver band between her thumb and index finger. It is a lovely ring, simple but striking. It is much wider than most such rings at just over a centimetre, and it is finely etched with an abstract design. It is unconventional and beautiful and very much Emily's style. Best of all, in Naomi's view, it does not look at all like a typical engagement or wedding ring looks.
Emily holds her breath at the sight, and slowly extends her left hand upwards with fingers splayed. Naomi smiles from ear to ear and carefully, almost reverently places the ring onto Emily's ring finger. Their hands clutch together for a moment. And the Emily extends hers once more so she can admire the new adornment.
"It's perfect, Naoms. Truly." Emily's eyes lift from the ring on her finger to take in her lover's beautiful face. "I love it. I love you."
They kiss once more, just softly. There is no want in this kiss, no sense of sexuality. There is simply love and care and gratitude.
"Well. You are a hard act to follow as gift-givers go, but I guess you should finish opening yours now."
There is mischief in Emily's eyes as she speaks, but Naomi does not catch it. She rustles around to find where the second little package has landed beside her and manages to find it without Emily having to move. The twin leans back just a bit to give Naomi a little room to manoeuvre, and to ensure that she has a clear view of Naomi's reaction to the contents.
The reaction, when it comes, is worth the wait.
Naomi squeaks. She honest-to-god squeaks,
She remains frozen in place for so long that Emily finally reaches into the little box and reclaims its contents. Then she gently graps Naomi's left hand in her own and slips the second silver band gifted this day onto the blonde's long, and definitely trembling, finger.
"Great minds, I guess, eh Naoms?"
Naomi's eyes are glued to her hand and the work of art that now encircles it. She has never seen anything like it, but she loves it. She can actually imagine wearing for the rest of her life, which is at the same time both amazing and somewhat terrifying.
She looks up at the woman still straddling her lap, this woman who has held her heart for well over a decade now, and who she knows, will hold it through every one of Naomi's breaths right to her very last. And she smiles. She smiles and she laughs and she cries tears of true joy.
And then she kisses her wife-to-be.
They miss their train in the end. By quite a bit.
And they couldn't possibly be happier about it.
May the New Year bring only good things. Until next time.
Crev