The silver one's skirts shifted with a light rustle in the kitchen as she silently moved about, cooking Christmas dinner. Pies and puddings already adorned the kitchen table, filling the house with sweet and savory scents. The holly and ivy scattered about the house made for bright punches of color on a dreary, snowy day.

Ordinarily, Chise would go on walks or care for the garden at this time of day, but today was Christmas Eve, and Elias declared that today, on the third day of Yule, they would study local Yule traditions more in depth from the library. Ruth had huffed in boredom and had long since abandoned her side for a roam in the forest.

She sat on the soft leather sofa in front of the crackling fire, wrapped in a soft quilt Silky had tucked her in with. Elias was in his usual chair, scanning a scroll that looked delicate and ancient.

The silence was comforting, and Chise was just settling in with her reading on the Yule log tradition, when out of nowhere, a small orange blur came shooting into the room at Elias and bounced off his skull. His scroll went flying into the corner of the room behind him, forgotten in the surprise. They were both shocked beyond speech, but the mage simply leaned over to where the item had thumped onto the floor and picked it up.

It looked like an orange, but it was covered in dark spots. Now, she could smell the spicy citrus permeating the air as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the oils off of his snout.

"Well. It looks like Silky doesn't like the yule tradition I found." He turned his ember eyes to Chise and held out the fruit. She looked it over and it was obvious now that it was an actual orange and looked to have cloves studded in a pretty pattern all over. It glittered in the dying afternoon light. Reaching out tentatively, she took it from Elias and looked at him questioningly. He just returned her stare calmly, as he always seemed to, but the set of his shoulders spoke of his anticipation.

It had been long enough living with him that she could read some of his tells, now.

The spicy aroma wafted up and tickled her nose as he watched. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Ah, now that's the interesting part. Apparently, the one who is handed the pomander bites a clove out of the fruit and, by the method in which he or she deals with the clove, shows the giver where they would like to be kissed."

Her eyes flew up from looking over the round fruit, to the red fire reflected in his eyes. She shivered and said, "Kissed?"

His skull tilted in question and he leant it on his hand after settling his elbow down on the armrest. "If the recipient doesn't want to be kissed, they nicely refuse, or if they're insulted, they simply roll it back on the floor."

She blushed and held the scented ball closer to her chest. They'd shared quick little kisses and nuzzles over the past few months, but always after a moment of great emotion. This was entirely different. Any kiss given now would be for the sake of a kiss, itself. Just the idea kind of excited her, but she looked back to the kitchen where Silky was still working away at the feast they'd have tomorrow. Did she disapprove of a… romantic exchange between Chise and Elias? On the other hand, didn't all of fairy believe them already married?

Elias leaned forward in his chair and the shift of fabric caught her attention before his warm, gloved hand cradled hers.

"It's okay if you don't wish to, but you never seemed to shy away from at least friendly kisses, in the past, so I thought you wouldn't mind this yule tradition."

"I- I do. Wish to, I mean. I just… she threw it at you. Does Silky not…"

His eyes seemed to smile at her and his shoulders relaxed a little. "She simply thinks that this is a form of manipulation. She wishes the best for you. That's all." His fingers lightly caressed hers, and she wondered what his hands looked like in this form. She'd seen the dark claws in his rage, and the almost-paws in his jealousy… what did his hands look like?

Blushing again, she blinked and looked up to his eyes and asked, "What do I do?"

A warm waft of exhale blew across her hair as he tightened his hold on her hands and brought up his other to point to the cloves. "If you wish to be kissed on the hand, as friends, you bite out the clove with your teeth, then hold it out with your hand, palm down." He mimicked holding a clove stud between his fingers with the palm facing the floor.

She nodded, and lifted the fruit to her mouth, missing the wonderful warmth of his hands almost immediately. He watched her closely as she gently bit a clove between her teeth and pulled the fruit away. A little spike of juice shot out at her lips, which she surreptitiously wiped with her fingers as she pull the clove out to hold towards him, palm obediently facing down.

His eyes followed down to her hand and he seemed to briefly pause. He took the clove and placed it on the coffee table before bringing her fingers up to his snout for a delicate nuzzle of smooth bone to the back of her fingers.

It was… lovely.

As he lifted his head, he explained, "Now, if you want to, you give the pomander to the one you wish to offer a kiss. The receiver will then choose if, and where, they would like to accept the kiss."

Chise smiled, and pulled her hand back. Butterflies chased around inside her tummy. The little kiss he'd given her was very polite and proper, but she could still feel the smooth warmth of bone against her fingers. She wondered why he chose to keep this form, when it would be so much easier to shift into a human face, with lips. It seemed he wanted to at least show her his own face with a kiss this serious. After all, she'd told him he looked kind of fake with a human face. Honestly, he looked too much like the priest, Simon, for her to be comfortable with it, anyway. There was something that spoke of the unearthly bond they'd developed in the foreign but dear face he showed, now.

With another smile, she shyly handed the orange back to him.

A low purring growl wrapped around the room, and she realized it was Elias' voice. He seemed inordinately pleased that she chose to show him that, yes, she wanted a kiss from him.

It was so strange to hear such a sumptuous sound from such a stoic facade.

She shivered in delight.

Watching him slowly nip a clove out of the orange was interesting, and the stud was almost too small for his gloved fingers. There was a moment when it seemed that he might take off his glove to make the task easier, but he eventually got it and held out the woody spice with his palm facing up.

"This means that I- the recipient, I mean- asks for a kiss to the wrist. It is considered more personal than a kiss to the back of the hand."

Her eyes widened. In order to kiss his wrist, she'd get to move his glove! Heart beating a little more than normal, she shimmied to the floor and on her knees with the quilt still wrapped around her and reached for his hand. It still held the orange, but she took it and put it on the table, followed by the little bit of clove. Glancing nervously up at him, she saw his intense interest in what she was doing. She ducked her head and held his large, warm hand between her own, two small ones.

Her thumbs lightly smoothed out the wrinkles of the soft fabric across his palm and his fingers flexed a little. It took a moment to pull the tiny pearl button out of its fastening, but the heat intensified beneath her fingers as soon as she got it loose. The glove was made well, the material a well-woven, cottony kind of substance, and as such, it was almost too soft to pull off of his relaxed hand. She pulled a little, then pulled a little more, but eventually had to rest his upturned palm against her sternum to hold it steady enough to pull the glove loose.

Her realization of exactly where his hand was - just beneath her throat with those deadly claws so possible - made her itch to pull the glove completely off. She sighed to herself and just did it.

Before she really knew it, his bare hand was under her face. It took a moment to catch that it wasn't a trick of the firelight and shadows, that his skin really was the most beautiful shade of plum and lavender. Tendons and veins ran and flexed just beneath his skin, same as hers, but- she looked up to his neck- yes, it was purple.

A gentle musk played with her senses- the smell of Elias. It was winter woodsmoke, the comforting smell of their workroom with spices and elixers, old parchment, and beneath it all, a wild gaminess that reminded her of something with reflective eyes in the night.

She must have been still too long, taking him into her senses, because he started pulling back and tightening up his shoulders. "No! Wait," she cried and tightened her grip on his hand.

"You don't need to be uncomfortable, Chise. It's just a game, after all."

She yanked his hand closer and glared at him. "You would take away my prize? That's not playing the game very fair."

"Chise…" He looked stunned, jaw slightly dropped in surprise. She didn't know what it was that made her react in defiance whenever he shied away, but she knew if she let this opportunity go, he might go running off again.

The memory of his jealous, tentacle-like appendages wrapping around every part of her body in the shadows of the forest, holding her so tightly it was difficult to breathe, reminded her that he coveted her attention. She needed to show him that she yearned for his attention, too.

With a careful watch over his body language, she lowered her face slowly to his delicate, violet skin. She could almost feel his warmth on her lips before she touched him. When she finally did reach the hot silk of his wrist, her lips pressed gently against the tendons and structures that made his grip so strong when he hefted her up in his arms.

She felt her heart speed up at the thought that she was kissing his skin. She'd pecked his cheek many times in the past few months, but this… this was much more intimate. How far did this game go? How far did he want it to go? How far did she want it to go? Her fingers pulled the cuff of his shirt up his muscled forearm and she pressed her nose more firmly against his arm, flattening her lips firmly against his skin.

That delicious purring growl wrapped around her again, and his fingertips, which were shaped like hers, but so much more masculine and protected by longish black nails, reflexively curled up against her throat. Shivers wracked her body, but she was nowhere near chilled. Despite the snow outside, she was heated and pressed her hot cheek against his wrist for a brief moment before sitting upright to share gazes with her mentor.

His bare hand lifted up and caressed her cheek. The familiar gesture felt infinitely more intimate with his bare skin and she closed her eyes, leaning into his palm and holding it more tightly to her cheek with her own hand.

She felt him move and opened her eyes to see him reach for the orange and hand it to her, warm puffs of air escaping his slightly opened jaws. His tongue glistened in the firelight behind his large fangs, and she was reminded of the times that he'd licked her to ease cuts or scrapes. She'd been uncomfortable the first time he'd done it, but that was before he'd become so dear.

With a warm smile, she released his hand and took the proffered fruit with both hands. "What other signals are there?" She tilted her head and rolled the fruit between her palms, each jostle weighting the air with the citrusy-clove spice.

Elias inhaled and sat back, exhaling slowly. He shifted a tiny bit, but settled back down to return her regard. "There are many, actually, each more… intimate than the last. The goal is to never go beyond the permission of the receiver, but I admit, the mechanics of some of the game seems beyond my ability."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, I don't have lips. I suppose I could shift into my human face-"

"No!" She exclaimed a little too quickly. He looked a bit surprised, so she continued, "I want to see you."

He was silent and if bones could blush, she'd wager his would, right then. She looked down at the pomander again. "Couldn't I just… point?"

It was a moment before he answered in a slightly shaky voice, "I don't see why not."

Her eyelids drooped and her heart thudded with the potential that sat at her fingertips. Elias would kiss her wherever she pointed. Her breathing hastened and she licked her lips. Where did she want to point? How could she maybe get him to use his tongue instead of the smooth bone of his mandible?

Instinctively, she understood the difficulty that lay with him trying to kiss her on the mouth, and that was likely what he'd been trying to say, but when he'd licked her neck that time, it was humid and confusing. What would it feel like, now?

A slow smirk lit her face and Elias seemed to shiver for a moment. He tried so hard to appear nonchalant and unaffected, but sometimes she just thought that meant he felt things more deeply. After all, still waters run deep.

She brought the orange to her mouth, keeping her eyes on her fiancee, and bit out a clove again. This time, she watched him as she took the bit of spice from between her teeth. His glowing red eyes followed her fingers voraciously as she slowly moved it down her chin, down her throat, to the cleft between her clavicles.

Her hand hovered there, waiting for him to realize what she was asking. The moment he became aware that she'd stopped where she wanted a kiss, his ember eyes flared brightly.

He inhaled, and the exhale carried a lull of his purr with it. "Are you sure, Chise?"

He kneeled down on the floor in front of her and the quilt finally fell from her shoulders. Her white Oxford shirt was just barely open enough to see where she pointed, but she knew he could tell. His eyes finally lifted up to her face and she smiled, handing the clove to him.

He waited until she nodded in answer, but looked from her shirt to his ungloved hand. Yes! He was taking off the other glove!

She watched him peel the soft material off and drop it to the floor next to the other one, then flex each hand as if he were testing the elements before a spell. Her heart ramped up in speed when he reached for her collar and started unbuttoning the buttons one by one.

She could feel his heated breath on her neck as he peered closer to get the second button. When she was bared to the tops of her breasts, but not exposing her bra, he stopped. The back of his hand lingered at her sternum, just above propriety, and she shivered in anticipation.

"Chise… I'm not sure what it is you really want…" His voice, always so deep and calm, trembled. He spread her collar and brushed his bare thumb against the notch she wanted him to kiss. She basked in the heat of his palm against her shoulder and hummed a smile up to him.

She'd been told a bit of his past, enough so that this moment could be truly frightening… if she didn't know him… love him.

"Elias?"

"Hmm?"

He seemed lost in touching her throat with his thumb.

"Kiss me-" How to put this? "Kiss me like you need to heal me."

There. His eyes flared hot again, hotter than the fireplace beside them. He understood. She nodded.

He shuddered. Something changed a little in his body, she wasn't sure what. He somehow grew more feral and his breathing became more ragged, but he still looked like her Elias- not the crazed creature of rage or jealousy- still her Elias.

His purring came back and there was a depth change to it, making it sound more… everything.

Hot breaths wafted across her exposed neck and a tiny part of her was afraid, but she quickly squashed that feeling. He would never hurt her. Even in his wildest changes, he'd never done more than bruise her skin.

She knew she could trust him and it was a heady thing. With that realization, she closed her eyes and dropped her head back, completely exposing her throat with a raspy hum of desire.

His answering moan was loud and he grabbed tightly to her shoulders, nearly too heavy for her to withstand. His breath panted out against her throat, heavy with humidity and desire. She vaguely remembered the last time he'd leaned over her, panting and drooling with the remnants of his control, and finally realized that perhaps he wasn't fighting off physical hunger, that night. Perhaps, he had been fighting the desire he had for her, sexually.

That was a very perspective-changing thought. Had he been more aware and able to name his feelings, she might have asked him about it, but now was not the time.

Right now, she needed to savor the feeling of his tongue slowly reaching out from behind his teeth and carefully licking her suprasternal notch. A small moan escaped her as his wet tongue drew circles around the indentation in her skin, then dipped to paint the center. His gravelly groan of satisfaction enveloped her throat and she felt the tips of his teeth rest against her sternum and jaw as his tongue grew more and more bold, wrapping itself along the jugular muscles and tendons that protected her neck.

She nearly lost her balance and grabbed for his enormous shoulders, filling her grasp with his shirtsleeves. His hands shifted from her shoulders and started sliding up her arms, back and forth, until they came back to her shoulders and slid down to her waist. His teeth scraped her skin lightly, and she wondered at his control. She knew he lost control of himself, sometimes.

Would this be one of those times? Did she mind? Did she want him to?

A part of her said no, but everything that had a say right now, screamed yes!

Her grip tightened on his shirt and her fingers started moving to find the exposed skin at his own throat. He yanked her body up flush against his and withdrew his head up to look at the ceiling, his jaws open.

His hands spasmed against her back before he slowly dropped his head down to rest atop hers.

His voice was breathless and dark, and had hints of wildness to it. "Chise, you have no idea what you do to me. I don't know what to call this feeling. It's so… primal."

She smiled against his throat and nuzzled her lips there as she spoke. "Elias… it's called desire. Passion. Love."

He shivered as she mouthed the words into his skin and swallowed audibly.

"I'm not sure how much I can control it. I might hurt you, or frighten you."

She kissed her way up his jugular to the velvety soft skin behind his jaw hinge, where an ear would normally be on a human. "You won't hurt me, Elias. And you don't scare me. I trust you."

His arms tightened around her body, reminding her of the time in the forest, deep in the thorny shadows. He was so needy, her Elias.

His hands fretted at her shirt, pulling and bunching the fabric in different ways. She thought about his words, and realized that perhaps what they needed was simply practice and time. He'd had infinite patience with her, teaching her their craft. This was when she became the teacher, and he the student.

With that resolved, she wrapped her arms around his neck more comfortably, less suggestively. "How about we just take our time? With you working on my cure, we're sure to have all the time in the world, right?"

He seemed to visibly relax when she took the pressure of the moment off of him, and his embrace instantly became more comfortable and less tense. She still kept her mouth to his neck, but they just kneeled on the floor in their first romantic embrace.

It was some time later that night, as she lay in bed next to him, that she wondered…

What if they hadn't stopped? Would they have- could they even- would it even fit?

She blushed and angled up to kiss her fiancee on her new favorite spot, just behind the jaw on his neck.

His delicious purr interrupted his light snore and filled the room.

She smiled and told herself there was time enough to find out about that later. For now, dreams awaited.