Leaning up to appraise his work, Christian nodded proudly.

"I figured you deserved at least a quarter of a forest…this is what I could lug up the stairs single handed."

Syed smiled broadly.

"Impressive."

"I thought so," Christian said, threading his hands together and stretching the fingers back histrionically in satisfaction.

Undetected, Syed's eyes traced over him, taking in each miniscule sign of the hour's exertion. He bit his curling lip at the chequered ruffle of Christian's shirt, the barely noticeable tufts of hair on the nape of his neck rucked out of their usual order. 'My own personal lumberjack,' he thought, admiringly.

"Did you get that for me?" he asked softly.

"No I got it for the elf community I keep under the bed. Course I got it for you, you soft sod," Christian laughed, pulling Syed to him with his arm wrapped around the soft waves of his neck.

"You, us. You were right, a tree is a vital element of existence this time of year. I turned down about eight others, I told Dave only the best for you, he says hello, and then he showed me this one, and I knew it was our tree, and only partly because of the five moaning women in the queue threatening to kill me. I saw it and thought 'this is the one'."

"The one, huh?"

"Sometimes you just know," Christian murmured, pausing at Syed before shifting his gaze back to peruse his toil. "You know I don't like to brag…but I am pretty sure this is the greatest tree of all time."

"Only pretty sure? I think once you've done a sample of nine you could be sure you've found the definite best Christmas tree."

"No, any tree," Christian corrected. "Even better than palms, and definitely better than a shrub. No contest there."

"No contest," Syed smiled, leaning to look up at his shining eyes. "Thank you," he breathed, stroking a soft, chased kiss on Christian's lips. "You didn't have to you know…"

"I wanted to, you know why. They tell you to say it with flowers. I thought I'd go one further and say it with a bloody enormous tree."

Blush forming, Syed bobbed his head and smiled, taking a moment's pause before reaching his hands out to gauge the seismic width of the towering tree.

"That is certainly a very big one," he nodded.

Christian grinned.

"Well I like to think so."

"I mean huge, the biggest I ever saw."

"How many have you seen?"

Christian coughed distractedly, the words having left his mouth at a slightly higher pitch than he had hoped.

"Dad would get a tiny one some years, and in school and shops obviously. I think this might be bigger than Harrods'…"

"Yeah…" he considered, watching as, obliviously, Syed squeezed himself through the non-existent space between the sofa back and the protruding needles. "I might have over compensated… For being an arse, obviously, nothing else."

"Obviously."

His fingers sightlessly reaching out to stroke the edge of Christian's resting hand, Syed stood settled in the tiny gap, craning his gaze up to inspect the closer view.

"Well I think it's perfect."

"You do? Really?"

"Yeah. If it gets too much we'll just get rid of all the furniture until January."

"And live in the branches like tree people?"

"Well I was thinking more on blankets on the floor, but that works too."

"Oh I don't know…I like the sound of that," Christian grinned, tightening his hold on Syed's hand to pull his body from the greenery's grasp.

"You, me, a blanket, and a giant tree?" Syed murmured with a smile, tracing his fingers along the firm strength of Christian's arm. "I might not have had much experience with this…but that sounds like a pretty good Christmas to me."

"Perfect. …Though maybe throw in the highlights of the Christmas tick list, you don't want to entirely forget the list."

"Giblets?"

"Excuse me?"

"You want to talk about turkey giblets now?"

"If that does it for you…but I was thinking more the mince pies…" Syed felt the brush of Christian's cheek and the warm breath as he whispered low in his ear, "And the licking them off of you."

"I thought they were all burnt?" Syed asked, low, stroking his stubble to purr on the warm skin. "No leaving for trips to the shop for you right now, thank you…not even for that."

"It is a pretty easy going list, a more ad hoc approach."

Feeling the tingle of both breaths hitch, Christian dragged his lips to draw a line down from the soft lobe.

"Yeah?"

"Mmmm, I'm pretty sure I could substitute most things for mince pies. Imaginary ones would do…" he breathed, pressing a heated damp, slow kiss into the soft dip of Syed's neck.

"I'd have to agree," Syed gently laughed, stroking his free hand up to the base of Christian's head, dragging the tips of his fingers through scalp and tufts as he sank into the feel of warm lips continuing their caress.

Feeling the communicative squeeze of soft grip on his neck, Christian allowed himself to be pulled to be seen, to on instinct, move his kiss to Syed's waiting parted mouth.

The tender caress of intimate heat wrapping its way in nips and strokes, for Syed, the rest just fell away, his tongue begging its way to the flick of Christian's soothing tongue, the gentle moans of joined keens humming through his skin.

Trailing his hands up the scrunched wool of Syed's sides, breathlessly, Christian broke the kiss to expose the longed for sight of golden bare chest. Arms wrapped, he held him, Syed lost in the feel of naked flesh against the cloth of Christian's shirt and the tender strength of his grasping hands.

"You're cold", Christian murmured into the dip of Syed's throat, his hand stroking the chilled soft base of his tingling back.

"Not anymore."

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope a story with vomit, fluff, jokes, angst, more fluff, and sex was a decent present for all tastes. Huge thanks for all reviews so far, they have been gorgeous. xxx