DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything here. Not even Ionia's scarf.
—s—t—a—r—t—f—i—c—t—i —o—n—
The wooden chair creaked as the old man eased himself down into a sitting position, grunting as his back hit the cushion placed cleverly for comfort. The night may have been chilly, but Alec was snuggled up in his favorite brown robe and pajama pants, the fire going right next to him and a mug of piping hot cocoa in his liver-spotted hands. He blew on the liquid carefully as he raised it to his lips, taking a small sip. The rich, sweet concoction warmed him from the inside, eliciting a contented sigh from the white-haired man. This was nice, he decided.
His comfort was short-lived, however, when there were a few faint knocks on the door, denoting the presence of someone outside. Briefly the man wondered who could be calling for him at such a late hour and in such cold weather at that, but he shook the thought away, setting his mug safely aside. Anyone stuck outside and in need of a place to stay the night was welcome with him.
Rising from the chair once more, Alec slipped on his trusty blue slippers as he hobbled over to the door. The weather had made his joints stiffer than usual; such a pain, literally. The door handle itself was cold, but this did not deter the man, who threw the door open anyway, intent on assisting his visitor.
There in the doorway, on the porch and just outside the threshold stood Ionia, one of his magypsy friends who lived up on the mountain. She (Alec called her a 'she' because that is what she preferred) looked the same as ever, with thinning purple hair and matching goatee. Her stunning green eyes reflected the fire in his home, accentuating the smile on her face. She wore nothing but that usual sleeveless yellow dress of hers, pink boots and a simple scarf on her neck. She was shaking as the icy wind blew around her, pale skin red from the cold. "Alec," she said simply, her voice still deeper than one would normally expect from her appearance. It was still rather feminine, though.
Alec's shock was evident on his face. "Ionia?" he asked, moving himself aside to allow her entry. "What are you doing out here so late, and in such weather? Come in, come in."
She gladly took the invitation, standing on the little welcome mat he had inside as he shut the door. "I had just been going for a walk, actually. I must have lost track of time~" she chuckled, rubbing manicured hands together for warmth. "Plus, I...wanted to see you."
Alec blinked at the statement, but did not question her motives. "Well," he began after a pause, "you're welcome to stay the night, until this weather lightens up, anyway. Looks like it's about to snow."
She looked at him and smiled brightly, rosy cheeks plump. "Oh, thank you, Alec, my dear."
"Anytime." He walked over to the kitchen area of his, to the right. "Do you want some hot cocoa? I just made some not five minutes ago."
Ionia brightened up even more, if such a thing was possible. "I'd love some~" she sang, following the man to the oven without a second thought.
Alec stirred the container in which said cocoa sat, steam rising from how hot it still was. Realizing he would need another mug, he reached up above him for the cupboard containing extras. In the process of doing so, however, his back popped and he made a little sound of discomfort, arm flinching in the air.
Ionia giggled lightly. "Don't worry, Alec, I'm a big girl," she reminded, reaching up from behind him to open the cabinet. Her chest brushed against his back as she did so, causing the man to start at the sudden unexpected contact. As soon as it was there, though, it was gone, Ionia holding the cup she'd retrieved out to the man in front of her. He colored slightly, taking the mug from her with a little nod of thanks and filling it to the brim with the brown substance.
Ionia brought the mug up to her face when Alec presented it to her, taking in the scent with flared nostrils. "Mmm...simply tantalizing," she giggled, blowing on the stuff as she followed the old man back into the living room. She took a small sip and sighed, smiling at nothing. "Brilliant."
Alec sat back down in his chair, eager to drink his own before it cooled. "Make yourself at home," he said, motioning to another chair on the other side of the hearth.
She nodded at him happily before sitting down herself, scooting the chair closer to warm herself up faster. With the fire and the hot cocoa, she was at a comfy temperature once more in a few minutes and a natural silence hung in the air. Alec stared at the magypsy across from him, trying to puzzle out her expression. She looked at him with those eyes of hers, so expressive and yet hard to figure out. And his heart was beating a bit faster than it normally did. He wondered why that was.
The silence wore on for a while.
Suddenly, Ionia stood up. Alec never broke eye contact as she took slow, calm, determined steps toward him, hips swishing and smooth, thick legs brushing gently against each other. Half-lidded eyes looked down upon him as she came within arm's reach, and it was then that all became clear.
She really was attractive, in her own kind of way.
Ionia slowly climbed onto him, pale legs wrapping around him loosely and feet sticking out of the gaps between the armrests and the rest of his wooden chair. She sat on his lap so casually, like it was something people did on a regular basis. Alec's heart was racing as she set her cocoa aside on the little table next to them. He hadn't felt anything like this in the longest time...not since he had first met Hinawa's mother.
Ionia gazed at him quite solemnly. "Is this okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned, though it was a little late to ask such a question. Alec honestly didn't mind it much, but he didn't know what to say.
"...if it's okay with you," he finally replied, voice quiet, like they were talking about something horrible and unforgivable.
A ghost of a smile played on her pink lips. "You do realize how romantic this is, right?" she said, leaning in close. "Like a scene out of a steamy romance novel~."
Alec swallowed audibly. "Do you want it to get...steamy?" he asked, unsure if he was okay with something of that magnitude.
Ionia looked taken aback for a moment before she laughed heartily, a nice change from the quietness of the last few minutes. "Oh, Alec, you animal! Come now, this is the part where we confess our feelings to each other. It should be fluffy, not rated M," she teased, placing hands on his shoulders. "How about I start? I love you, Alec Itoi," she proclaimed quite seriously, garnet eyes ablaze with the very same emotion she claimed to have.
Alec's mouth went dry. That look in her eyes was so...so legit. That, or she was a really, really good actress. But Ionia, while often playful, was a kind being at heart. That was one of the reasons Alec knew he felt the same way. She was kind, gentle, funny, handsome...in her own way, and charming. Why, he didn't know. But he didn't care. He didn't care that he didn't know why, or that she wasn't even human and was hundreds of years older than him.
She loved him and he loved her and that was just that.
"I think I love you too," he responded, glasses shining in the firelight.
Ionia giggled deeply, the sound resonating in her throat. "Good," she murmured, pressing their noses together, hers big and Alec's crooked, for a moment, before pressing their lips together lightly, wrapping her arms gently around his neck and pushing their flat chests close.
Alec, of course, made no move to pull away, instead putting rather tentative hands on her waist. She made a sound of approval and wiggled her lips against his, creating a teasing sort of friction between them. The man would have laughed had his mouth been available to do it. It felt surprisingly natural to kiss Ionia, to be this close and feel these things.
She broke the kiss a few seconds later, smiling at her new lover. "Well, well," she tapped a finger against his chest, expression mischievous. "Who knew Alecypoo could kiss so well?"
Alec smiled back at her. "Oh, I may not look it now, but back in my prime I was quite the heart breaker."
She giggled. "How jealous I am of those women," she practically purred, snuggling into Alec's chest and breathing in deeply.
The two stayed like that for a long time after that, safe from the snowy gales outside and kept warm by and thoroughly enjoying the presence of each other.
—e—n—d—f—i—c—t—i—o—n—
A/N: I don't even know if this is het or not. But since I used 'she', let's just say it is. Whaaat, Luke can write het? LIES. And dear God the title is terrible. I'm sorry I have next to no imagination for trivial stuffs like that. Bleh. Leave a review? Tell me whatcha liked or didn't like, I'd love to know! Thanks for reading~ c: