Sexy Santa
"Wow. Some party." The tall, bearded man chuckled softly. "Definitely not something you see every day."
"Yeah." Alistair awkwardly cleared his throat. "Very… creative."
"That's one way of putting it." The man's dark eyes were twinkling merrily. "Duncan Grey, medical consultant," he introduced himself, extending his hand to shake Alistair's.
"Alistair Theirin. I'm the IT technician. You know, the guy who makes sure the computers run smoothly and all that." Alistair was sure he could see the guy's eyes glazing over with boredom. Theoretically, he knew that everyone here at W.O.D. depended on his skills to be able to do their work, but he still felt like a useless clod compared to most of his colleagues.
W.O.D., short for Ward Off Disease, was an up-and-coming internet company providing an online database for the prevention and diagnosis of infectious diseases. Despite this grim premise, most of the staff were young and enjoyed life to the fullest. Work hard, play harder—wasn't that what people said about start-ups? This party was a case in point.
Alistair was still struggling to come up with an interesting conversation topic when Isabela, their customer relationships manager, made her way over to them with a bright smile on her face.
"Duncan! So glad you could make it." She embraced their guest heartily, breathing a kiss on his bearded cheek. "Love your costume."
"Isabela. You look ravishing." Duncan's gaze was heated enough to attest to the sincerity of his compliment.
Alistair couldn't help but agree, even though he wasn't quite sure where to look. Isabela's outfit showed a lot of her smooth, brown skin. He risked another peek and blushed as the realization sank in. If he wasn't very much mistaken, Isabela had simply repurposed a bunny costume, complete with fluffy tail, by replacing the ears with a set of reindeer antlers.
"Isn't this fun?" She was practically purring, her eyes firmly fixed on Duncan's broad chest. "Sexy Santa. I just love themed parties, and your costume is perfect. Tell me, was it hard to find a suitable one?"
Duncan grinned, clearly flattered by her attention. "Not at all. With a little creativity…" He winked at Alistair, who grinned back weakly.
He had to admit the man had made the best of the evening's motto. It helped that he was in good shape for his age. Not everyone would have been able to pull off skin tight red leather pants and a dyed beard, not to mention a fur-trimmed tunic with a deep, plunging neckline.
Instinctively, Alistair gathered his red coat more tightly around his body. "Whose idea was this anyway? I mean, last year we just went out for a beer."
"Oh, it was Zevran who suggested it. The new guy from Marketing. Apparently that's the way they celebrate where he comes from." Chatting on merrily, Isabela dragged Duncan off in the direction of the bar.
Alistair took a shaky breath, sneaking a glance at the man in question. Zevran was perched on the armrest of Leliana's chair, whispering something into her ear that made her throw her head back and laugh raucously. He was definitely dressed for the occasion. His costume consisted of tight red hot pants, red suspenders, red boots, and a Santa hat. Nothing else. For some reason he'd added elf ears to the costume as well, and oddly enough, they suited him, made him look even more exotic, more... Alistair swallowed hard. Zevran was so incredibly hot, all golden skin and taut muscle, with the intricate pattern of his tattoos just begging to be explored further. A pity that he seemed only interested in the girls.
Just then, Zevran raised his head and looked straight at him, and Alistair blushed violently. Zevran smiled and raised his punch glass in a mute salute, then turned back to Leliana. She winked at Alistair, making a shrugging motion with her shoulders. His blush deepened as her meaning sank in. She wanted him to take off the coat. But he wasn't ready to do so. Not yet. Probably not ever. The teachings of the nuns at his boarding school weren't quite so easy to shake off.
Leliana had helped him pick his costume, red satin leggings, and a red muscle shirt that left his arms and shoulders and most of his chest bare. "Really, Alistair, with a body like yours, you have no reason to be shy." He snorted at the memory. As if anyone needed a reason. He would never have agreed to the outfit if it hadn't been for the floor-length cloak that went with it. But it was hot in the room, with so many people crowded into the small space, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could bear the heavy velvet.
He distracted himself by looking around some more, grimacing when he spotted Oghren, one of the web developers. While it might be argued, at a stretch, that lederhosen made for a good Santa costume, Alistair was pretty sure that Oghren's naked round belly didn't qualify as "sexy". Next to Oghren, his colleague Sten had all but refused to dress up, a pair of antlers on his wide forehead his only concession to the motto.
Now, Leliana, on the other hand… She wasn't his type, but she looked classy in her long, slinky red satin dress with the slit up to her thighs. And the reindeer applications were a nice touch. Shale had picked a good look, too, a glittery number that hugged her ample curves.
"Alistair." A cool voice tore him out of his musings. "Where did you get that drink of yours?"
When he turned, he nearly choked on his drink. He hadn't expected Morrigan to show up at all. The cool brunette from accounting had raised a disapproving eyebrow when she had first seen the party posters, and had muttered something about childish games. But, here she was, in a short burgundy skirt and a flimsy top, with two stripes of fabric just barely covering her- Again, Alistair swallowed. The amount of bare skin on display tonight was enough to make anyone dizzy.
"The bar is over there," he managed to answer, wondering if he dared compliment her. But the pithy look she gave him shut him up immediately.
Morrigan wandered off, and Alistair found a quiet corner near the window, where it was a little cooler. All around him, people were chatting animatedly, their faces bright and happy. Maybe he should have followed Wynne's example and stayed at home. He shifted uncomfortably, cursing his shyness. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get past it. He was fine as long as he had to deal with one or two people at a time, people he knew well, people who respected his strengths.
But this wasn't his kind of event, and he fervently wished the evening was already over. Making small talk, showing off, and flirting just didn't appeal to him at all. He was perfectly happy to leave that kind of entertainment to others. Like Isabela who had settled on Duncan's lap now, wrapping herself around him, whispering in his ear while his hand rested on her thigh, stroking it in lazy circles. Or Shale who was rocking the dance floor, surprisingly graceful considering her size. Or Zevran… Alistair craned his neck to find him when a warm, silky voice next to his ear made him jump.
"That cloak must be stifling, querido. Why don't you take it off?" Zevran's face was hard to read. Was that genuine concern or mockery? Or something more suggestive? Alistair wasn't sure.
"Nah, I'm good." He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't bring himself to relax. The mere thought of everyone staring at him-
"Are you sure? You look very hot to me." This time, there was no mistaking the innuendo. Or the intensity of Zevran's gaze as his amber eyes slowly roved over Alistair's face, then further downward. "Come on. I'm sure you've got nothing to hide."
Oh, curse it! Taking a deep breath, Alistair straightened himself up to his full height, dropping the coat to the floor. Zevran whistled softly, and he immediately felt self-conscious again, reaching instinctively for the coat.
But Zevran stopped him with a hand around his wrist. "Don't." The sharpness of his tone was tempered by his radiant smile. "Please don't. You look magnificent."
Alistair gulped nervously. From across the room, Leliana was smiling cheerily at him. But, it was the look in Zevran's eyes that made him stand straighter, made him roll his shoulders to loosen the tense muscles. And it was the tiny hitch in the other man's breath that gave him the courage to look up with a smile.
"Gorgeous." Zevran's voice was a mere whisper. "Such a shame to hide all this, no?"
Zevran appeared to be waiting for a reply, his face quiet and expectant. His hand was still on Alistair's wrist, his grip surprisingly firm, and it made him go weak at the knees. They were so soft, those long, graceful fingers, and at the same time Alistair could feel the strength in them, and he couldn't help but imagine-
"Well, I won't bother you any longer." With a sigh, Zevran turned to go, and Alistair nearly panicked. He knew with sudden clarity that he didn't want to waste this chance, tiny as it might be.
"Wait." His voice sounded rough and hoarse, but he was so glad to have forced out the word that he didn't care. "Please… don't go. You're not bothering me. At all."
When Zevran turned back slowly, favouring him with another dazzling smile, his heart beat so fast he was sure everyone could hear it. Suddenly, the prospect of spending the evening at this party had become a lot more appealing.
Written for the Secret Santa exchange on CMDA. Hugs and thanks to suilven for betaing this for me.