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Snow fell thick outside the frosted windows, descending silently from the sky in delicate swathes and sudden clumps shaken off branches of heavily laden trees by chilly birds, fluffing their feathers and waking with the dawn.
The pale dawn light shone through the tree's bare branches down to warm the village, and sparkle off the icicles that clung to the crooked wreath hanging on the Orrelios' door to their home that their gaggle of children had made all together.
As icy as it was outside, the perfect opposite was sheltered by their house's walls; with the warmth and comfort on the inside; thick woven rugs adorned the floors and heavy woolen blankets were piled high, ready to be pounced on by eager kits or shaken loose to be draped over a chilly human's broad shoulders.
Kallus stood, leaning on his left leg like always, in their modest kitchen with one such blanket already wrapped around his shoulders like a short cloak, leaving his arms free to pour clear water into a large kettle.
The comforts of a civilian life and raising half a dozen children had softened Alexsandr's middle, and in Lasat fashion had let his beard grow in thicker. Still neatly trimmed, -he wasn't some force wielding hermit without a razor-, but a now full beard encompased his angular jaw and the handsome bow of his lips.
A small, ribbon tied box for Zeb sat on the counter top at his elbow. He had struggled with an apt gift for his Garazeb, to find an item that meant something, and something that truly mattered.
Alexsandr peered at the box with a nervous excitement buzzing all the way to his fingertips, as though he were filled with lightning and fireflies. He had once taken Lasan away from it's people, had taken everything Garazeb had known away from him when his planet had fallen to Imperial reign. Inside that small, unassuming box, there was a small carved urn for the bag of dust Zeb had taken with him from Lasan, and some seeds stolen from an Imperial vault of the planet's native flora. The very same climbing flowers that had been tended to lovingly in the palace garden.
He had seen that garden be trampled by armoured feet and rubble, he hadn't been able to look away as the delicate azure petals had blackened and curled among the flames. His fingers itched for him to pluck the last bloom and keep it in the safety of his palm. He had turned away as it's stem ignited. If his Garazeb were willing, they'd tend those blooms together.
He cast his gaze shyly over to the door and towards Zeb, stoking the fire in the hearth, and hoped his foolish gift would have him smile; in that wide, foolish way that had melted his icicle heart so long ago.
In the other room, Garazeb hummed a little tune to himself as he prodded the spluttering wood, coaxing the flame to burn a little hotter. A comforting warmth caressed his face and the short fur of his arms, and quickly spread to the rest of the room as it chased away the wintery chill.
He smiled, ears flicking merrily, over at the meteorite glowing softly on the mantle nestled among sprigs of sweet smelling herbs, pine and prickly winter leaves with their bright gold berries. The little thing still held onto it's warmth, though it had waned into no more heat than it threw light.
He tucked his gift for his husband beside the fireplace, standing tall among all theirs to, and the charming if messily wrapped presents from their children. A new walking stick for his Sasha, carved by the Lasat's own two hands. Kallus' adopted fulcrum symbol emblazoned bravely on the handle, with painted stars and flowers scrawled down the length of the metal and wood shaft of the cane to it's foot.
Zeb sighed softly through his nose and glanced at the door that led to their little kitchen. Poor bastard's leg had never healed right, not surprising after the state he was in after their crash on Bahryn, and then later with Thrawn and his death troopers.
He nudged the wrapped cane upright with the backs of his furred knuckles, and couldn't help but smile. A few suspectly shaped packages he recognized, as his Alexsandr had taken up knitting as the weather turned, and the contents could be little else. The monotonous action had proven good for the human's still occasionally nervous hands, and it always brought a smile to Garazeb's lips to be trudging through thigh deep snow and encounter another Lasat with a slightly crooked scarf as long as they were tall.
He turned that solar fire smile to his husband, as he steadily limped in holding two steaming mugs of spiced tea in one hand and leaning on his slightly bent cane with the other.
"Thanks babe," Zeb sighed gratefully and took a tentative sip of hot, sweetened tea. His heavy brow furrowed as his husband sat beside him awkwardly, his torso turned away with one hand curled around something tucked under his arm.
"Babe?" Zeb prompted gently. With a little nudge and some patience, his Alexsandr always found his words.
Kallus shook himself, and turned to face the Lasat with a shy smile, and a soft blink up from under his upturned brows.
"...I...have a gift. For you, love." He spoke gently, no louder than the snapping of the smouldering wood in the fireplace, and as soft as the light of dawn.
Zeb smiled, and reached to tangle his fingers among his husband's. Alexsandr's were warm from the teapot, and his still clumsy from snatching up logs from the pile outside the door and the morning's chill he had to brave in order to get them.
"Is this a secret gift?" Zeb purred, turning a teasing peek over Kallus' shoulder into a rub of their beaded cheeks.
The human chuckled, and returned the gesture with full enthusiasm. "Perhaps…" He purred, rolling the 'r' for good measure.
"Tease…" The Lasat muttered under his breath as he leaned back, both ears quivering with kittenish excitement.
Garazeb thumbed the lid open, a light touch for hands so large. Those tall ears lowered slowly, and the Lasat's viridescent eyes grew as round as the moons of Lothal.
"These 're…" He whispered, the rough timbre of his voice turned as soft as his shallow breath.
Alexsandr gnawed on his lower lip, suddenly anxious by husband's silence, as the trapped bird of his heart began to pound within it's cage.
He wet his lower lip with a hasty swipe of his tongue, feeling that same uncomfortably hot prickling sensation roll up from his gut. "If I can give any part of Lasan back to you and your people, by Ashla, Garazeb I'll do it. No matter the expense."
The Lasat's throat worked visibly around a heavy swallow. He reverently set the box down on the soft cushion between them, and took his husband's scarred hands with gentle fingers.
"Sasha," he began softly, squeezing the human's hands and rubbing softly to warm them. "We'll have our own place garden, I can jus' imagine it now." He chuckled around a dazed and happy breath.
"Our kits covered in dirt an' grass, an' you, cursing the bugs eating the flowers, and frettin' over how much water they have."
He chuckled again, his voice's strength regained, and one thick fang peeked up from beneath his slack lower lip as he smiled. He reached up and swept a long lock of his husband's grown out hair away from his eye, tucking it back behind one ear with a gentle gesture. " 's a perfect gift. We'll plant those seeds together, as a family when the thaw comes."
Relief and love sang through Alexsandr's veins and he threw his arms around his husband's furred neck. Soft muscle and softer fur lay beneath his freckled arms, as warm and welcoming as the man he had married, and had fallen so hopelessly in love with even longer before that.
"I love you, my dear." He mumbled thickly, choked by emotion, and by the sudden squeeze of arms wrapping around him. By the harsh edge that had crept into his lover's every inhale, Garazeb fared no better. "More than there are stars to guide our way, I love…"
He surrendered his feeble grasp of speaking and instead diligently rolled his mimic of a loving purr across his tongue, the best his vocals would allow. The real sound rumbled from Zeb's chest as an impossibly gentle four fingered hand rose to cup the side of his head, cradling him closer.
After a final squeeze, Zeb coaxed him to sit back to rub their cheeks together in a loving kiss his people's way.
"Yer mean the stars to me, love." He rumbled, leaning in once more to press his velvet lips to the human's pale cheek.
One hand remained curled around Alexsandr's elbow as Zeb leaned away, wiggling his fingers for extra reach and plucked his neatly wrapped gift from the pile. "Here. Open up mine."
Alexsandr's lips quirked, as he curled his fingers around the package gently. "I do hope it's a tooka…" He quipped, sniffling his wild emotions back into line.
Zeb laughed, stifling his sharp bark of bright mirth with a fist between his teeth and knocked their shoulders together. "Awe karabast, yer guessed right."
Kallus snorted, and bumped his shoulder back.
Deft and freckled fingers loosened the spun twine and the paper fell away, revealing the new and dutifully carved cane. Alexsandr's curious frown softened, the same way it always did when Zeb kissed a sleeping Alex between his angular brows, and the human smiled as he turned the polished wood and metal I'm his hands. "Beautiful…" He breathed in honest admiration.
"Carved it me'self…" Zeb mumbled, one tufted ear swishing.
Kallus turned his star cluster gaze up to meet his husband's just like the rising of the sun at dawn, and he stretched up to place a soft kiss against the velvety fur of Zeb's cheek. "It's perfect, and very thoughtful my dear. Thank you."
Zeb scratched his claws through the fur behind his head bashfully, and let his tall ears flick and settle of their own accord, knowing full well what their troublesome independence did to the other man. "Now," he purred, blinking his hooded viridescent eyes slowly, "let me thank you…"
"Well," Kallus smiled, a blush rising in his freckled cheeks, and a few wayward strands of softly falling hair obscuring the corner of his eyes. "While we have some peace…"
They rocked forward as one and their lips met with the same adoring passion as they had on their wedding night. Alexsandr moaned softly, cupping his husband's bearded jaw, and parted his pliant lips in open surrender to the teasing push of Zeb's tongue. That enchanting purr rumbled deeper, and Zeb used his larger size to push Kallus back into the plush back of their blanket smothered sofa.
The sound of children giggling had the both of them smiling too wide to continue any further than a sweet press of their foreheads and the bump of the tip of Alexsandr's nose against the high ridge of Zeb's own.
After another peaceful breath, Garazeb broke the kiss with a low and roughened chuckle. "Sounds like we've got incoming…"
Pale fingers slid down to scuff blunted nails through the thick fur on the sides of the Lasat's neck, and Alexsandr smiled, bright and truly happy. He rolled his eyes jokingly with a heavy sigh. "That Orrelios mayhem certainly runs in the family, love."
They blessed each other with one last quick sealing of their lips before six pairs of little feet thundered down the stairs and their day would begin in full and wonderous havoc.