Chapter Text
Joe groaned when someone shook him.
"Joe, Joe, wake up," Nicky said. "Come on, Yusuf."
Joe looked at the alarm clock, which said 5.21 AM.
"Is the house on fire?" Joe asked. "Or is it time for sex?"
"Not yet, my eager Lover," Nicky replied. "Today, you're getting sex as a reward."
"At 5.21 AM?" Joe muttered. "What are you talking about?"
Joe saw over his shoulder that Nicky pulled his t-shirt on.
"You said you would get me the Christmas boxes," Nicky replied. "So, please, Joe, will you get them for me?"
Joe always had one problem when it came to Nicky: he couldn't say no, no matter what Nicky asked for.
"Okay," Joe groaned as he sat up and ruffled his curls. "Bed hair?"
"Nicely tousled," Nicky replied, laughing. "You know, I was thinking of Malta."
"What time in Malta?" Joe wanted to know. Nicky gave Joe the look. "Ah, that time in Malta."
"We should go back," Nicky replied. "It has been a long while since the last time."
"That would be nice," Joe replied. "I just need to use the bathroom before getting you the boxes."
Nicky kissed Joe.
"You're getting more kisses when you are back again," Nicky promised. "And when I'm done, you can tie me up and do things to me."
"Oh, I'm going," Joe replied with a smirk. "Be back in a moment."
Joe walked out to the bathroom before he walked past Nicky.
"Uhm, Joe," Nicky said. "Maybe you should get dressed first. It's, after all, in the middle of winter."
Joe looked down at himself before he looked at Nicky.
"Please don't tell my Mom about this," Joe said. "Or at least wait until after Christmas."
Nicky laughed as he walked into the living room. Forty minutes later, Joe had carried up the first two boxes.
"Thanks, Joe," Nicky said with a grateful smile. "Do you think you could find the Christmas train? The one from your Granddad."
"It's next on my list," Joe replied. "So, the Christmas train and how many boxes are left?"
"Three," Nicky replied. "And thanks for helping me."
Joe kissed Nicky.
"Don't mention it," Joe replied. "It's nice to see you happy again."
"Sorry if it took so long," Nicky replied. "I didn't..."
"Hi, you had a bad start on December," Joe replied. "Can't wait to see the result once you're done."
When Joe had found the Christmas boxes and the last three boxes, Nicky said that Joe could go back to bed while he decorated. Because Nicky was more organized than Joe was, Nicky had written on the boxes what room the content should be in. Slowly, each room was transformed with Christmas decorations. Because they had been travelling throughout the world, they had Christmas decorations from all over the world. There was the Christmas dragon from China. The Christmas dragon was a green porcelain figurine with a Santa hat. It was a Christmas gift from Joe and always stood on Nicky's desk. And then there was the Christmas train. It was the only thing Joe asked to be put up every Christmas in memory of his much-missed Granddad. Joe had told Nicky about Christmases with his Granddad, and they spent hours playing with the Christmas train before his Granddad read "The Polar Express".
Nicky carried the Christmas train into Joe's studio. After cleaning Joe's work table, which was the only table big enough in their flat for the Christmas train, Nicky started making the winter wonderland Joe had made out of paper mache and a lot of pastel colours when he was eight as a Christmas gift to his Granddad. The first time Nicky saw the winter wonderland, he asked Joe why the snow was blue; Joe told it was because when he was six, he was a very big fan of the Smurfs and thought they had blue snow. And his Granddad had loved the winter wonderland and the blue snow. It became the start of adding a new Smurf to the winter wonderland until Joe's Granddad died fourteen years later. Before waking Joe, Nicky tested if the Christmas train worked.
"Hi, Love," Nicky whispered. "It's past midday."
"Kiss me," Joe replied. "I miss your kisses."
Nicky kissed Joe a couple of times.
"I thought you wanted to place the Smurfs in the winter wonderland," Nicky said. "Since you know where they go."
"Sounds good," Joe replied. "But first, I want to see what you have done."
Joe got up and kissed Nicky again. Then Nicky gave Joe a guided tour.
"I see the kitchen Elves are back," Joe said when they stood in the kitchen. The kitchen Elves were two Elves: a married couple, where the female Elf was hitting the male Elf with the pot spoon after being caught with the finger in the cookie dough. "Do they still work?"
"Sadly, no, the wire is broken, and I don't want to risk a fire," Nicky replied. "I'm thinking of finding someone who can fix it."
"Great idea," Joe replied. "Now, living room."
They walked into the living room.
"Wait a moment," Joe said. "We're missing the mice. Where are they?"
The mice were grey with small Christmas hats.
"You're not paying attention," Nicky replied. "They're on the TV this year."
Joe looked at the TV.
"Good," Joe replied. "And I love the rest of the Christmas decorations in here."
After checking on the Christmas dragon, they walked into Joe's studio.
"I have to do something about the boards," Joe said after running a hand over the winter wonderland. "They have started to crumble."
"You come up with something," Nicky replied before kissing Joe. "While I make us a sandwich, you could decorate your winter wonderland."
Nicky kissed Joe before he left. Then Joe took the first box with all the houses for the Smurfs he had made with his Granddad. Nicky had given Joe all the Christmas trees in scale, so they matched everything else in the Christmas wonderland. Ten minutes later, Nicky thought he heard voices coming from Joe's studio. When Nicky came back to Joe's studio, he found Joe sitting on a chair with Mr George on his lap.
"This is Grouchy Smurf," Joe said while holding up a Smurf in front of Mr George. "He doesn't want the rest of the Smurfs to know he loves driving on the Christmas train."
Joe looked over at Nicky.
"Look who came over to look at our Christmas decorations," Joe said. "And he is a big fan."
"I can tell," Nicky replied. "Could I also hear about the Smurfs?"
For the next many hours, Joe told Nicky and Mr George about all the smurfs before Joe started the Christmas train. As the Christmas train drove through the winter wonderland, Nicky saw the happiness in Joe's eyes he had missed all year. It was there that Nicky promised himself never to let a bad mood affect the Christmas mood.