Author's Note: Or 'I can't think of any titles.'
Well, after having failed to properly write a decent Christmas fic, I decided to use a word prompt type thing (thanks to neosmies for the idea! ;A;) and yeahhh, this is what happened. I did not plan any of these, I just let them kind of write themselves. Honestly, some of these (*cough*snow and candy cane and decorating*cough*) bug me, but I'm just going to leave them. xD Maybe someone out there will find them decent. Most of these are so predictable it hurts, but…not much I can do I guess.
Anywho, these likely have multiple typos (I wrote 'burning' instead of 'bringing/beginning' once if that's any explanation) that I haven't seen, so please let me know if you see any. ;A; I kind of pulled a stupid move and stayed up much later than I should have.
I hope you enjoy and merry Christmas to you all! :)
Pairings: Ezreal/Vladimir
Sexual Content: Holy romance spam, batman! (It's nothing horrible but it's in there; namely Decorating there are things hinted.)
(By the way, that scrapped story will be posted on tumblr likely by the time you end up reading this. xD The link to there is in my profile.)
Hot Chocolate
Winter might not be Ezreal's favorite season, but any excuse to drink hot chocolate is a good one in his book. Spring and summer are often much to warm to be drinking such a hot beverage, fall and winter, on the other hand, are perfect for such a drink. Be it freezing or cool, the boy loves nothing more than to sit by the fire and drink the mixture of cream and cocoa.
Another warm feeling rushes through him as another sip of his drink goes down his throat. Of course, after sipping from this drink he licks the cream off his lips and nose the best he can; it's pretty tough to drink without getting the creamy topping on your lip and or nose. He could care less. He smiles contently and shifts slightly his seat; simply holding the mug containing this drink is enough to warm him considerably. He stares down into said mug idly, watching the cream topping he put in float around.
In his distracted state, it's no wonder he doesn't hear, feel, or notice another sit down next to him. When this other speaks, it causes the boy to jump slightly, "What are you drinking?" is the rather childish question.
Ezreal blinks in confusion; who couldn't know what hot chocolate is? Is he being serious here or joking? Sure enough, judging by the confused look on Vladimir's face, he is completely serious in his question. The boy offers his mug to the vampire, "It's hot chocolate, go ahead and try some." Vladimir looks into the mug, flashing a skeptical look to his companion. Ezreal smiles reassuringly, "Come on, it's really good; I think even you will like it!" He says this because it's well known that Vladimir is extremely picky in what he eats and drinks, but Ezreal is honestly quite sure the creature will like it.
Vladimir hesitantly takes the mug from the smaller male and stares inside it for awhile, clearly debating if he wants to drink this strange liquid or not. Ezreal has to hold in a laugh at said creature's tentativeness toward a simple drink. Vlad sniffs the dark liquid then takes a small sip, licking the whipped topping off his lips once he's done.
He hands the mug back to his smaller companion, "You're right, that is quite delicious." He nods approvingly, making Ezreal laugh. Vladimir always seems to act so prideful in public, so it's quite odd that he doesn't do so as much when he's at home with the boy. That is not to say some of that pride doesn't show in conversations and actions that take place in their household.
"Told you so." Is the almost singsong reply from Ezreal, whom takes another sip from his mug. "I wouldn't mind making you some if you'd like. It doesn't take long to prep and heat up."
Vladimir shakes his head, "No, I'm good." Ezreal shrugs at this, but doesn't press further. Though he does notice Vlad lean closer to him; he is about to ask why when he feels the creature's tongue slide over his lips and the tip of his nose. Ezreal shoots the vampire a confused look. Vlad licks his own lips then grins back, "You taste much better with cream, pretty boy."
Cold Nights
Ezreal slams the front door shut then shudders harshly. He just had to walk several minutes through the freezing city and downright bitterly cold woods after an already cold battle on the Fields of Justice. That stupid field is always switching between the summer and winter settings; it fluctuated more times than he could count. It only made the switch between battles that much more extreme for the poor boy.
Thankfully by the time he finally arrived at home, he was beyond exhausted. The not so good part is that he can never get straight to sleep in the winter. He sighs heavily, his breath clearly visible even when he's in his own home, and shoves his jacket in the nearest closet. His shoes, gloves, socks, and scarf follow closely behind…even if not all of those items belong in the closet.
He brushes his teeth and tries taking a shower to warm himself up (he has to change into his nightgown anyway, so why not try?) which only makes things worse. Now he's wet and cold. Charming. He sighs, knowing full and well the second he leaves the bathroom it'll be much colder. He braces himself, opens the door, then runs to his bed (which thankfully is close by) and immediately burrows under the covers.
Sadly, said covers don't so much to ease his now violent shivering. His teeth chatter loudly and quickly, almost painfully so, as he shuts his eyes tightly and curls up best he can to try and get warm. Soon after doing so, he feels himself pulled against something warm. He knows right away what it is, though he doesn't bother commenting.
He hears a sigh and feels a hand rub against his back rather quickly, trying to create friction and warm him, "You need thicker clothing, my dear." Vladimir murmurs into his ear, pulling the poor boy tighter against himself in an attempt to warm his smaller mate. "You also need to not take showers unless you can completely dry yourself."
"I-I th-thought it-it w-"
Vladimir silences him with a kiss, which at least has his face heating up pretty well, "No talking from you, just try to relax." Ezreal shakily nods, burying his face into the creature's nightshirt. Ezreal doesn't like the cold, or the cold nights, or the seemingly endless shaking; but he is rather fond of the normally hidden part of Vladimir's nature that shows up when the boy is in pain, discomfort, simply depressed or sad, or when sick. Normally Vlad is one to become violent towards others when they stray too close to his mate; normally Vlad is one to prove rather viciously or arrogantly how much better he is than anyone else near him; normally Vlad is one to try and seduce the poor boy any chance he gets.
That is, needless to say, it's not a common occurrence when Vladimir hugs the boy gently against himself to warm him rather than tightly clinging to the boy's back and pinning him to the ground in a sign of affection…or occasionally a vicious display of dominance over his mate. He can't blame the creature's instincts and never holds it against him of course, but it is never very pleasant either way.
Sure, Vladimir can also be a bit violent sometimes, often feeding off his mate or again not hesitating to attack anyone that gets near his smaller companion, but he does care deeply for the boy. He is much calmer near Ezreal, and he is normally very docile to his small mate, but he still doesn't normally show his caring side.
It's certainly a rare glimpse into Vladimir's personality that shows there is still a lot about him Ezreal doesn't know…and maybe freezing in the bitter cold of winter is worth a few more looks into Vlad's personality.
Gift Wrapping
Wrapping gifts is never easy when the one whom you're trying to hide that gift from happens to be a vampire. A very curious one, at that. Ezreal sighs and continues carefully wrapping one of his many gifts to his dearest companion. Vladimir and he have been together for over five years now and every year since living together it seemed to be the same: Ezreal would try and wrap his gifts for the creature all the while said creature tries to find out what those presents are before or during the time Ezreal begins wrapping them.
Needless to say, Ezreal had to start thinking of ways to get Vladimir out of the house while he wraps the creature's presents. Last year, thankfully enough, Vlad busied himself with shopping for the boy. The year before, Ezreal convinced Caitlyn to drag Vladimir around the city, seeing as he kept to the forest and thus got lost often in Piltover.
This year was tricky, but Ezreal managed to convince Vladimir to go running around in the woods to hunt or something. Vlad seemed suspicious, but did in fact do as asked. That alone put the boy on edge seeing as Vladimir doesn't normally do as told unless Ezreal is dead serious about what he's telling the creature to do.
Ezreal shakes his head, smiling; Vladimir is so childish sometimes.
-x-x-x-x-x-
With a sickening crack and squashing sound, Vladimir's latest victim befalls a horrible fate beneath his boot- the unlucky man's skull crushed and the contents within smashed into the grass. Vlad grins wickedly, kneeling down to carefully cut open the belly and chest cavity of his victim with just one claw. After a few cracking sounds, he looks over his kill to check for any additions he can make. Once satisfied with his work, he carefully picks up the carcass and begins his walk back home.
He is sure this unlucky soul will make a wonderful dinner. The kill is fresh and will be kept as such longer than usual seeing as it is much too cold for any sort of insect or bacteria to eat away his kill. Maybe if he gets back soon enough he can catch a glimpse at the gifts his mate is without a doubt trying to wrap before he gets home…
Vladimir sets his kill down on the dining room table of his cabin then walks toward their bedroom (of course Ezreal shares his bedroom; he has to keep the boy close after all seeing as he's a good catch for any sane vampire), but stops midway out of the dining room. He smiles, turning back to his kill and taking a claw to the man's flesh once again. Once done he looks over his work and nods in approval. He then makes his way back outside seemingly, forgetting of the presents his companion is wrapping.
I hope you're hungry tonight; it took me awhile to find a nice healthy kill you might like. I honestly don't know what kind of meat you prefer, so I took a best guess. I hope you like it.
-Love, Vladimir
Decorating
Vladimir watches silently as his little mate hurries around their cabin. Ezreal has been busy all day putting up lights, a tree, little things on that tree, some wrapped up boxes, and then some lights outside. The boy has barely taken any breaks, seems in a rush, and has skipped lunch in his frantic decorating.
What Vladimir can't understand is why. Why is his little companion running around their home like a madman, putting up various shiny objects and lights and colorful boxes and weird, fluffy green vine-like things? It is usually the male in a pair whom decorates his nest in an attempt to seduce his mate, not the other way around.
He has to admit though, his mate has a very good taste in decoration. Weird, but good. The red and green make a highly appealing combination, the lights are white and a pale blue or a mix of red accompanied by green and blue which look quite nice as well, the shiny things on that little tree in the living room make it look pretty fancy, and those little boxes look like they might be hiding something nice.
Ezreal runs by again, carrying a few more strands of lights to go outside and outline the roof. Vladimir tilts his head from his perch in a nearby tree, which is luckily stripped of all its leaves in the harsh winds of winter, and watches in wonder. His mate hates cold weather…why is he out in it hanging up all this stuff? Even if it is to impress him (which it is definitely doing), why now? And why in such a hurry? Does he want all of this up before he returns? Does his mate not notice him watching? Then again, he did sneak in to look around inside. Shifting into a pool of blood is a sure-fire way not to be noticed.
He shifts on his perch quietly; is the boy almost done? Things seem to be slowing down. His question is answered when Ezreal sighs in relief, backs up to check his work, then retreats inside. Vladimir leans forward on his branch, listening intently for any signs the boy might come back out. Ezreal never returns in the next few minutes, so Vlad deems it safe to go back inside.
When he walks in Ezreal greets him with a grin, "Do you like it? I know I didn't ask or anything, but I was kinda hoping to surprise you!"
Vladimir grins right back, walking behind his mate and nuzzling the boy's cheek lovingly, "Yes," He purrs, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, earning a small, almost confused, squeak from his dear little mate, "you did really well…I'm quite impressed."
Candy Cane
Ezreal usually isn't one for sweets (so he tells people; complete lies, of course), but one can't let all the sudden sales on candy canes go unchecked, can they? No, no they can not.
Suddenly the boy finds himself putting a few bags of the peppermint candies into the cupboard after snatching one to suck on for awhile. He can use the others to stir into hot chocolate or just snack on every now and again…hey, it's the holidays, he can afford to be a bit greedy in the candy department.
So once all the candies are put away aside from one, he picks up the lone cane of peppermint and walks into the living room. He plops down on the couch, the hooked end of his new candy sticking out of his mouth, and stares at the ceiling. After but seconds of staring, he gets bored. Oh what he wouldn't give to go exploring- wait. Maybe he could go for a walk in the woods or something…he hasn't done that in awhile.
Sure, Vladimir says it's dangerous and he shouldn't go wandering about without his guardian vampire to help him stay safe…but really, he should know by now that danger is something that heavily interests Ezreal.
With a peppermint candy in mouth, Ezreal heads out into the dark, snowy, and heavily fogged woods.
Who knows how long into his walk later, he begins to wonder if wandering off the 'path' (there is what looked like an old dirt path running through the woods; it stops after a certain point in which Vladimir says Ezreal should never pass) was such a hot idea. The path stretches several miles into the woods…so Ezreal is left wondering just how far away from said path he has wandered.
But again, this is new terrain for him and he is an explorer. Plus his candy cane hasn't fully dissolved yet, so he has plenty of time to burn.
He nods to himself and continues his blind walk, seeming to not care about finding his way back just yet. This soon changes when he begins to hear twigs snapping and trees rustling oddly. He looks up, around, and up again but sees nothing. And of course he didn't bring his gauntlet so he doesn't have any form of defense if this is some wild animal…
It proves to be more than just a mere wild animal when Ezreal finds himself tackled to the ground. It is done in the same fashion as Vladimir, so the boy assumes it is him, but looking up proves it to not be the case. It's definitely a vampire, but unfortunately not Vladimir.
The creature sniffs the boy almost curiously, namely the candy he has with him for some reason or another. Ezreal dares not speak for fear of angering the bloodsucker, so he remains as still and quiet as possible. The creature, sadly for Ezreal, soon loses interest in the strange minty smell and of course goes right to biting his neck. Thankfully for him, some rustling in a nearby tree stops the beast from drinking much more than a few drops. Not so thankfully, it growls at the tree prior to being tackled by a rival beast looking for a free kill. Ezreal uses this time to back up best he can, holding his neck for fear of losing too much blood.
He hears several growls, snarls, and tears, but doesn't dare look at what's going on. He just focuses on staying silently backed against a nearby tree; out of sight but certainly not out of smelling range of the beasts. But sadly for him, he can't travel far with a wound like this. He finds it better just to have his back to a tree and hide behind a bush than be out in the open or running aimlessly.
Eventually a yelp and what he presumes to be fleeing is heard, which signals the leave of one of the two. That last one is, of course, immediately heard sniffing the air, deeply growling all the while. Never has Ezreal been so afraid. He silently hopes the creature, for whatever reason, decides to chase down the other beast rather than go after him.
Fat chance.
Footsteps lead right toward him and undoubtedly his demise. Ezreal shuts his eyes, for some reason or another hoping the beast won't find him. He isn't so lucky, of course. Within seconds he's dragged out of his hiding spot and slammed into the ground, a weight straddling his waist.
Ezreal can't help but look up at his attacker- gasping once he sees him.
Vladimir frowns down at him before scooping him up and sealing his wound (and of course licking what blood the boy has on him). He doesn't even bother asking why Ezreal was out so far or why he thought it was a good idea to disobey him, he just starts walking back.
The boy can't help but feel somewhat guilty and averts his gaze. Even so, silence isn't a trait he's known for, "How'd you find me?"
Vladimir sighs, looking down at his mate, "I honestly thought you were some random hiker for awhile. I really did think that when I attacked that guy." He shakes his head. Ezreal looks up, still wanting an answer to his question. Vladimir simply licks the boy's face, confusing Ezreal as to why until he answers, "Peppermint is extremely easy to smell for humans…guess how easily I can smell it."
Snow
Snow has always been something Vladimir adores. He loves the cold in general, but snow is icing on the cake. He especially loves snow when he can manage to drag his mate out from under the many blankets he hides himself in order to play in the white powder. Though that isn't his plan today, he still wants Ezreal outside. Apparently, the boy isn't as keen about snow as he is and literally does take dragging to get him out of the house.
Once outside, he is less than amused.
Ezreal frowns, nearly glaring at Vladimir, "Tell me again why you dragged me out here." The smaller male at least seems somewhat less angry about being carried, in fact he seems to actually rub up against his vampiric partner. For Ezreal this is of course an attempt to stay warm, but for Vlad, whom doesn't get cold as easily, it's a rare sign of affection from his mate.
Vladimir doesn't comment on that, surprisingly enough, and instead goes into his answer, "I didn't tell you and you will see." He grins down at the boy before quickening his pace into the woods.
He rarely takes Ezreal out here for various reasons, but he really wants him to see this. He highly doubts the boy has ever seen anything like it, so he might as well, right? Plus it's another chance to get his little mate to cling to him instead of the other way around. Why would Ezreal suddenly do such a thing? Well, the fact that Vladimir is climbing a rather large tree probably helps.
Vladimir of course uses both hands for climbing, leaving Ezreal to wrap his arms around the creature's neck and his legs around Vlad's waist. This is made harder seeing as he's not on the creature's back, which would be of course far too easy to hang on to, and is instead clinging to the front of him.
His mate complains the whole way up the tree, but Vladimir simply ignores him and keeps climbing. For anyone else, the mixture of snow, wind, and ice would make climbing a large tree with few footholds a real pain, but for Vlad and his claws it's no problem at all. For him it's just another day in the forest.
For Ezreal, it's a rather long fall down and he has only Vladimir (and branches to hit him on the way down) between him and the ground. His grip tightens around both Vlad's neck and waist, "Can we go back down now?" he all but squeaks, trying his best not to look down. Trees here tend to grow really high, and this one just seems to be the tallest of the bunch. Of course Vladimir sees fit to try and get as close to the top as possible.
"No, we're not high enough just yet." He grins, taking a brief opportunity to nuzzle his mate's hair.
This of course freaks the boy out, "Focus on staying on the tree, please!" he yelps, tightening his grip (if at all possible) on the current bane of his existence. He loves the guy and all, but things like this make him wonder if Caitlyn is right about him being dangerous.
Vladimir laughs, seeming to slow his ascent until stopping at one of the few remaining semi-large branches near the top. He climbs on one of these then sits down without worry or problem as if he's done it all his life (for all Ezreal knows, he has). His mate of course stays clinging to his front. Vlad shakes his head, "Come on, pretty boy, turn around and look."
Ezreal of course shakes his head, "No. This is insane, and I, unlike you, can die from falling so please can we just go now…" His scolding comment trails to a whimper before he ends up burying his face in the crook of Vladimir's neck. While Vlad liked his little human clinging to him, the boy really won't be able to see what he brought him up here for if he keeps that up. The creature shakes his head, using one hand to pull the boy off him and the other to keep balance. If he falls now, he'll have to climb all the way back, and really, what fun is that?
Of course, being pried off his lifeline then held over a huge fall doesn't fare well with Ezreal. Thankfully he's set back on Vlad's lap before he freaks out too much. He tries to turn around again, but of course Vladimir holds him in place with an arm around his waist.
"You won't fall, my dear." He sighs, shaking his head, "Now look and we can go home."
Ezreal finally takes the time to look around and gasps, "Oh wow…"
What lies before and below him is the snow falling from what almost looked like right above his head all the way down to the ground, which almost seems to glow in the moonlight. Seeing the other trees from this height is also quite a sight for the boy, seeing as he rarely heads up this high unless he's on a mountain or something. For him, it's quite a big deal.
Vladimir grins, "You see? This is another reason I love snow."
Morning/Night of Christmas
It's certainly odd to see his dear little human so anxious when trying to sleep. Ezreal doesn't seem as calm as he normally is when trying to sleep; he tosses and turns more often than usual and seems quite edgy. Normally on cold nights such as this he stays curled up next to Vladimir, but this time the boy keeps fidgeting and turning.
After about an hour, Vladimir can't help but ask, "What is wrong with you?"
Ezreal tenses slightly, seeming worried if he's been keeping Vlad awake, "Sorry, just excited." He smiles sheepishly at the creature, whom tilts his head.
"Excited? For what?" Is there something he didn't quite hear about?
The boy's sheepish grin turns to a normal one, "I just am." Okay, even Vladimir knows that is a complete lie. He shakes his head, not quite knowing what to think of his little companion.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
What surprises Vladimir more the next morning is being woken up by Ezreal all but dragging (or trying to) him out of bed. Vlad grunts and turns around, burrowing under the covers to try and avoid the smaller male. Honestly, he was up most the night, he should be able to sleep in a bit more, not less.
He hears the boy sigh, "Come on, Vlad! It's Christmas morning, just get up already!"
It's what now? He has never heard of this, nor does he care. Whatever festivities there are can wait until he has had a few more hours of sleep, thank you very much. Apparently, Ezreal doesn't see things the same way and groans, again trying to get the creature out of bed. Said creature stays perfectly in place, not moving the slightest no matter how hard Ezreal tries to drag or push him.
After a few seconds of silence, Vladimir assumes the boy gave up and left, but when said boy crawls under the blankets just to poke him, it's obvious he has not given up. Finally, Vlad has enough and bares his fangs at the boy, growling as he would to any stranger or attacker. His glowing red eyes no doubt make this threat even more menacing.
Ezreal does in fact back off slightly, pulling a rather fearful look before he recovers and frowns. He mutters, "Fine, be that way. Hang on." And crawls back out and walks out of the room.
Vladimir sighs, shaking his head and returning to his sleep when he hears the boy return. He groans, finally crawling out from beneath the covers and sitting up on the bed, "What?" he all but growls.
The boy puts a box on his lap, jumping on the bed to sit next to him. Ezreal seems rather happy again all of the sudden, thoroughly confusing Vlad. He raises a brow, "What is this?"
Ezreal pokes the box, "It's a gift!"
He blinks a few times, "You gave me a box?" it's obvious that Ezreal holds in laughter as the boy struggles for a good few seconds to compose himself enough to speak again.
"No, Vlad, I did not give you a box." He pauses, "Well, I did give you a box, but the gift is inside the box." He tugs lightly on the ribbon as emphasis. "You're supposed to open it."
Vladimir mouths an 'Oooh' then stares at the box again. He looks back to Ezreal, whom seems to eagerly await the tearing of this box, then back to the box in question. Vlad slices across the top with an index claw and opens the brown box within. Inside are what appear to be metal claws one would put over one's fingers for some reason or another.
"Well," Ezreal begins, "you were complaining yesterday about 'dulling your nails' on enemies like Malphite and stuff, so I thought maybe you might like something to use to protect your claws." He beams proudly, "Caitlyn helped get them made, of course, but even she said it was a pretty clever idea."
Vladimir tries on these weird metal claws, and they do seem to fit well. He clicks his index finger and thumb together a few times, then moves his fingers around, "Very nice…" the creature grins at his new weapons, then turns to Ezreal, "Thank you, my dear." He laughs, at the face his companion pulls, no doubt because of his tone. He ignores it and hugs the small boy, "Really, it is a very nice gift."
Ezreal hugs the creature back, "No problem! Merry Christmas to you!"
Though not entirely sure what it means, Vladimir nods, "Merry Christmas to you as well."