"So, what do you usually do for Christmas?" Dorian asked, "Any traditions I should know about?"
Bull paused in mid-bite and frowned faintly, "Not really."
"Come on, nothing really?" Dorian pressed.
"Dorian, I grew up in an orphanage in Sudan, we didn't really do Christmas. At all."
Dorian frowned at that, "What?"
"Christmas isn't a Muslim holiday Dorian," Bull sounded more amused than anything.
"But you didn't say anything when I wanted to put up a tree!"
"I think it's pretty, the lights and the shiny bobbles and all that, but it's not really a religious thing," he said with a faint shrug.
"I see," Dorian said.
"You grew up Catholic right?" Bull asked as he resumed eating, "So what do Catholics do?"
"Well, I am a dreadful heathen and don't really do anything anymore aside from putting up the tree, which really isn't a Catholic thing to do so to speak," Dorian said, "But when I was younger, my parents would drag me out to Midnight Mass and I would usually fall asleep in the pews. Before opening any presents we would pray and have baked eggs, then we would open presents then go back to mass later that day."
"Did you want to do that this year?" Bull asked.
Dorian shook his head quickly. He'd found the masses beautiful and part of him missed the tradition of it all, but he was not ready to go back to the church his parents had used against him. Some day maybe, but that time was still a ways off.
"So, sounds like we get to come up with our own traditions this year," Bull said with a grin as he finished eating.
Dorian couldn't help but smile faintly, "As long as these traditions do not involve strip poker with the Chargers than I am up for it," he said.
Bull laughed, "Oh come on, we didn't beat you too badly!"
"I still owe Dalish a pair of boxers!" Dorian huffed, "I literally ran out of clothing to offer!"
Bull grinned, "That was a good night."
Dorian groaned and rolled his eyes, "You somehow organized that with your Chargers, I just know it."
"I organized the game yes, but I had nothing to do with you being a terrible poker player," Bull said with a grin.
Dorian flung a pillow at Bull, and Bull just laughed as it bounced off his head, "Glad to see your aim is getting better."
"Oh, will you just, ugh!"
Bull grinned, "So pillow tossing a new tradition?"
"Maker no!"
Bull grinned, "Then what is?" He asked.
Dorian sighed, "I don't know. Maybe eating whatever this is every Christmas?" He asked.
Bull nodded, "Yeah alright. We can have chicken for Christmas. I mean, is that special enough?"
He sighed, "I don't know. How do you even build a tradition?"
"By doing it a lot," Bull said with a shrug.
Dorian groaned and flopped onto the couch to stretch out.
Bull smiled at him, "Spending Christmas together in the same room sounds like a pretty good tradition to me," he said.
Dorian smiled despite himself, "Yes that does seem like a lovely tradition."
"Eggnog and cocoa? Maybe spiked just a little?" Bull offered.
"Or a lot." Dorian added.
Bull laughed, "Or a lot," he agreed.
"I'm sure there's some dreadful Christmas movie we could put on," Dorian said, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. He flicked through channels until he paused, "Ah, The Polar Express, perfect. Just the right level of 3D creepiness," Dorian said.
Bull shifted onto the couch beside him and Dorian laid his head in Bull's lap as they watched the movie in silence for a while.
"Do tell me Dorian, did you ever believe in Santa?" Bull asked.
Dorian laughed, "Of course. I even had powdered sugar footprints waiting for me in the morning all around the empty plate of cookies. I believed well into my teens."
"No shit?" Bull asked.
Dorian felt his cheeks flush, "Well yes. I didn't quite understand the hows that it worked but yes, I believed quite vividly for many years. My parents eventually cleared it all up for me so that I did not enter high school still asking everyone if they had written their letters to Santa yet."
"That is the cutest damn thing I've ever heard," Bull said with a laugh.
Dorian hit him with another pillow then realized his throw pillow supply was running low so he lifted his head out of Bull's lap and scooted to the other side of the couch, "It is not cute!"
"Oh yeah? Then what is it?"
"...An excellent display of my ability to hold steadfast to my beliefs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary," Dorian said with a nod and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that big guy," Bull said as he got off the couch. "I'm making cocoa, want some?" Bull asked.
Dorian nodded and while Bull was out of the living room he took the time to resupply his throw pillow ammo, there was no telling what else Bull was going to do that would warrant a pillow assault.
He took the mug from Bull and smiled at the warmth and at the little multi-colored marshmallows floating around the top of it. A lovely treat and one Dorian planned on savoring to the very last drop.
Bull barely waited for his to cool before guzzling it down. Dorian took his time and the movie was nearly over by the time he was putting his mug on the table beside Bulls.
Just as the mug left Dorian's hands, Bull grabbed him and hoisted Dorian into his lap. Dorian groaned and kicked a little out of principle more than a real resistance before he settled against Bull's chest as Bull kissed the top of his head.
"So, tell me little boy, what is it you want for Christmas this year?" Bull asked.
Dorian tried to reach for a throw pillow but he was out of range of his ammo. He groaned against Bull's chest, "You are absurd."
"That's not a wish. You wouldn't want Santa to not know what to get you," Bull said, "So tell ol' Bull here what your pretty little heart desires."
"Nothing," Dorian said.
"Nothing?" Bull arched a brow and looked towards their little Christmas tree with a few presents under it. "Well, that's a shame. Come on, tell me what you want for Christmas."
Dorian smiled a bit then reached up to wrap his arms around Bull as he pulled the bigger man into a kiss that left them both breathless.
"You."