Writing this brought back memories of the time I ate so much vanilla icing that I refused to eat it again for five years! But that aside, this is my last fic of 2018! I really hope you all like this mess of fluff and mpreg! Happy New Year's everyone! I hope y'all have a great night and an amazing start to 2019! 3
It was a cold night in London. Snowflakes fell from the heavens, covering the streets in heavy blankets of the frozen powder and leaving behind slick sidewalks, thoroughly coated with a thick layer of ice that perfectly reflected the city lights as they shone down upon it. Icicles hung from the terraces of nearby shops and restaurants; despite their hazard, they were a lovely addition to the festive decor and holiday music. At this rate, with the snow steadily increasing and piling higher as Christmas Eve progressed, it was promised to be a white Christmas. The beauty of the scenery was not lost on the couple perched in the window seat in their third floor flat, watching the wintry landscape glow beneath the seasonal lights of green, white, and red with silent glee. Onyx tipped fingers lovingly smoothed over the firm bump rounding his petite mate's midsection as he leaned back against his lover's warm chest, a single wool blanket draped snugly around Sebastian's shoulders and draping down onto Ciel's.
Christmas had come and passed with Sebastian and Ciel remaining huddled beside the tree in their home for the entire week, exchanging gifts and drinking hot tea near the fire, simply enjoying the warm and quiet setting in each other's arms, spoiling each other with sweet kisses stolen beneath the mistletoe and the occasional romp beneath the sheets. With New Year's Eve upon them, their plans for the evening weren't much different than they were for the last holiday. A small hand grazed the sweater clad swell of life Ciel carried, idly tracing the bizarre white and grey outlines of knitted snowmen and snowflakes across his chest as he glanced towards the red sweater Sebastian wore, adorned with brown and green reindeer, knit in the same, ghastly fashion.
In his mind, the sweaters were, to put it frankly, positively horrid. It appeared as if the Christmas store they attended when purchasing ornaments had thrown up all over them, covering them in vile layers of holiday garb, but Sebastian had insisted, and alas, Ciel was no match for those pleading carmine eyes. Sebastian's satisfaction and the warmth the garments provided didn't make him like the monstrosity he donned any more though. To make it worth his while, Sebastian had sworn to bake him cookies to eat at midnight as the clocks rang out to announce the new year, cookies that had yet to be baked though it already nearing eleven.
A whine from his mate easily reminded him of his promise, "Sebastian, weren't we going to bake tonight?" Glancing down at the silky tufts of ashen blue hair, Sebastian smiled warmly, hugging Ciel closer with a quiet coo, "Yes, Ciel. Don't worry, we still have time, it won't take very long to bake them. We can start now if you'd like? Then we can either go watch fireworks and take some cookies with us or we can watch them from the window."
"If you wouldn't mind, I would prefer staying in to watch them. It's cold outside and my feet hurt." Sebastian nodded in understanding, though he felt a modicum of guilt. He had encouraged Ciel to join him for grocery shopping at noon without considering how tender his feet had become over the last few weeks from bearing the extra weight of their baby. The smaller male had a habit of pushing his own limits, something Sebastian sometimes forgot about; of course he wouldn't tell him when he begins to feel discomfort.
Ciel sighed upon catching the apologetic frown marring his boyfriend's features, cupping his jaw to bring them eye to eye, "Don't even go there, Sebastian; I can see the cogs turning in your head. I'm alright, I just don't want to be walking a lot right now. They would have hurt no matter what I did, so don't worry over me."
The taller man stared back at him skeptically, but said nothing more, choosing to trust his words despite his own doubts. "Very well.. Staying in sounds perfect to me though. Now come, my love," he picked him up with no effort despite his protruding belly and pecked his cheek, cheerful once more as he carried him towards the kitchen, "Let us begin baking."
Rather than setting him on the ground to stand beside him, Sebastian set Ciel down atop a chair that he nudged close to the countertop, ignoring the weak pout he got in return as he pulled flour, milk, sugar, and eggs from the cabinets and refrigerator. Meanwhile, Ciel snatched up the tub of white icing from near the mixing bowl, popping the top open without hesitation, lustful gaze immediately focusing on the tiny blue and white snowflake shaped sprinkles stirred into the sweet and creamy icing. He was happy to see that the container was larger than the last one; he had plans for the leftovers.
After placing the newest ingredients down alongside vanilla extract, butter, and baking soda, Sebastian pulled a sheet of paper from the small table behind him, scanning the worn page that he had used countless times this year alone. When he was living alone, he hardly ever baked cookies, and the few times he did it was for a friend or family member's holiday party, but after living with Ciel for four years now, he had become somewhat of an expert when it came to preparing any kind of baked good that his lover desired; he had even become fond of a few sweets himself. Reading the directions carefully, he preheated the oven before returning to the bluenette's side, pushing a smaller mixing bowl in front of him while sliding the bigger one closer to himself, "Okay, Ciel, stir together two and three-fourths cups of flour and one teaspoon of baking soda in that bowl while I beat the eggs into this one."
With an understanding hum, Ciel measured the ingredients before pouring them into the bowl, setting it aside once he was finished in favor of watching Sebastian whisk the thick mixture of butter, sugar, and vanilla. He took note of how relaxed Sebastian was, shoulders free of tension and fingers pleasantly lax around the handle of the whisk, concentrated on the task at hand but without the lines of consternation between his brows that he had carried for most of the days before. His mate's calmness made it impossible for Ciel to feel anything but the same level of serenity, all of the third-trimester aches and pains he endured throughout Christmas forgotten for the moment as he leant his chin against his knuckles upon the counter. "I need to dump this in with that next, right?" Ciel asked, lifting the dry powder over the other bowl of gooey liquid. "You would be correct, dearest. Just do it slowly while I stir it, we don't need a repeat of Halloween…"
Ciel snorted, poking at Sebastian's arm with a grin, ignoring the half-hearted swat aimed at the offending finger, "I told you my mixer didn't run as smoothly as yours did, that's your fault for not listening to me and dumping it all in at once." With a mildly offended grunt from Sebastian, the two bowls were combined, leaving them with a thick batter ready to be dabbed onto a sheet and put into the oven. They both procured spoons and dripped dots of dough onto the cookie sheet, continuing on until the bowl was scraped clean and the obsidian-haired man was able to discard the unbaked sweets in the oven for the time being. The seconds he spent setting the timer and washing his hands was all it took for Ciel to pop the lid off the tub of icing and dip a spoon into the top, moaning loudly as he ate the first sickly-sweet bite.
"Ciel, you were supposed to save that for the cookies!" Sebastian gasped, astonished at the other's speed when it came to snacks as compared to his usual grumbling and slow pace when he had to open anything else. "Don't judge me, the baby wanted it," Ciel mumbled around another mouthful, biting back the smile that would have given his tiny fib away. He wasn't being completely untruthful, his cravings for cake weren't rare in any shape or form, but icing with sprinkles had been a guilty pleasure of his since the age of three when his father let him help decorate his mother's birthday cake for the first time; this obsession was nothing gained over the last eight months.
"I think we both know that's not true… What do you plan to say once you have the baby? You won't be able to use him as an excuse anymore," Sebastian raised a single, slim brow, opening his mouth hesitantly when Ciel prodded his lips with the spoon. Perhaps it wasn't so bad… Taking the silverware from the smaller hand, he fed him another spoonful before taking one for himself. Meanwhile, Ciel stood from his seat, narrowing his eyes at his lover when he made to pick him up, and instead walked back to the window seat they previously occupied in the living room, waving for Sebastian to join him with their sugary snack once he was comfortable. "Then I'll say that he's drained me of energy and that I need it to function." With a chuckle, Sebastian slid in beside him, his back to the bookcase while Ciel's was against his chest, "Fair enough."
They fell silent after that, savoring their little piece of heaven with the saccharine frosting and a view of the bustling city, the room made toasty by the fire flickering beneath the mantle. A tiny jolt quickly drew Sebastian's attention to Ciel, eyebrows knitting worriedly as the petite male rubbed a hand over his bump. "Are you okay?" The blue-eyed boy looked over his shoulder with a turn of the lips, seeming happy despite being given a minor start seconds prior, "Yes, I'm alright, he just kicked and it startled me a bit, that's all."
Sebastian splayed his hand across Ciel's, trapping the chilled fingers beneath his in hopes of warming them with his touch, laying butterfly kisses on the nape of his neck as he studied the delicate thumps beneath their hands. The kicks brought a sunny smile to his lips. He knew he didn't feel them the same way his lover did, they were faint to himself and surprisingly strong to Ciel, but the connection he felt to their unborn son ran just as deeply as it did for the child's bearer. "It won't be long now."
An acknowledging nod was given as Ciel laced his fingers with his mate's. His statement may have been true, but the slighter male couldn't resist a playful vibe. "For the cookies or..?" He drawled, failing to keep a neutral expression as he teased. Mahogany eyes looked towards the ceiling with a tsk, flattening his lips to keep from laughing at the other's joke. He sighed fondly all the same, "No, the baby, you dork… But now that you mention it, those will be ready soon too." As if waiting until the very moment he uttered those words, a beep sounded from the kitchen, the strong scent of cookies wafting into the nearby rooms mere seconds later.
"Ah, as I thought… Let's go ice them so they'll be ready to eat at midnight." Giving Ciel no time to protest, Sebastian scooped him up and transported him to the kitchen once more. "I can walk, you know?" Ciel lamented as he was set on his feet. It wasn't that he didn't love being picked up and carried around their home, he truly did, but he did feel as if Sebastian was beginning to coddle him a little too much. "I am well aware, but I like carrying you and I don't get to do it much. So often as you will allow, I will hold you every chance I get." Sebastian slipped on a mit and pulled the sugar cookies from the oven while Ciel replaced the frosting where it had been previously, laying two knives out for easy spreading beside it. The cookies were lifted and decorated individually, both men taking turns to place one on the azul platter as they were completed, quickly filling the large dish with delicious baked goods, white icing and shades of blue sprinkles adorning the sugar dusted dessert, "And… That makes it two dozen, but that doesn't mean we should strive to eat them all by daybreak." A mischievous glint in Ciel's eyes made him sigh, knowing that by the end of the night, at least a dozen would be eaten. "I don't strive to, but that doesn't mean I won't anyways."
"Oh trust me, I know," the dark-haired man shook his head all-knowingly, taking a brief glance at the clock on the wall. "It's eleven fifty, care to go watch the spectacle?" He filled a smaller plate with their freshly made snack and poured up two glasses of milk to accompany them, offering Ciel the dish while carrying the cups himself, eyes never straying from Ciel as he padded back to the window, hastily resuming their last position. Stretching an arm behind himself, Ciel held a cookie to Sebastian's lips, feeding him their midnight treat as Sebastian returned the favour, watching happily as he took a bite. He gently nudged him, gesturing towards the window as the seconds ticked down to twelve in the morning, propping his chin on a narrow shoulder as he watched the skies for the first flashes of light to signal that the new year was upon them.
Five seconds drifted by and then ten, yellow, green, and purple flashes shooting into the air as the hour came to rest at precisely twelve, exploding in a symphony of bright colours. Ciel twisted in his seat to face Sebastian, a bright grin in place as he cupped his cheek and pulled him down until their lips met, plush pink melding in perfect synchronization, and the fireworks popping vividly behind the glass of the window. When they pulled away, both were left breathless, quiet but alight with joy as they watched the show outside, arms encasing one another as Sebastian leaned closer, mouth brushing beneath his ear as he began to sing softly. It was a song Ciel had yet to hear before, but still he found it beautiful; not specifically because of the lyrics, but because of the one serenading him, voice as smooth as caramel and more mesmerizing than the bluest of oceans. All too quickly, the taller man's singing faded out and he was left with a kiss to the forehead and unwavering happiness. "God, I love you, Sebastian…" Ciel muttered, hugging him suddenly and without warning, his embrace returned immediately. "I love you too, Ciel," Sebastian closed his eyes, enjoying the simple touch while nuzzling the bond mark gracing Ciel's neck. Deeply inhaling his tranquil aroma, the alpha turned to the view outside, watching the dawn of the new year with the one he loved most. "Happy New Year, dearest."