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You cracked your eyes open, squinting even in the dull grey morning light that filtered into the room. It was chilly and you maneuvered yourself closer to the elf that lay still sleeping next to you in the bed. You snuggled yourself into his chest and sighed contentedly. Lindir's arm wrapped around your shoulders as he slowly woke up. It was rare he got to sleep in like this and you took a moment to admire how adorable he was when he was still rumpled from sleep, his chocolate brown hair spilling all over the pillow.
"Good morning, meleth nín," he murmured, voice still rough with sleep. "And happy Christmas." He pressed a kiss to your forehead.
You smiled against his chest. Lindir—being an elf—didn't celebrate the holiday, but ever since you had started dating, you'd both made a point to participate in the other's holidays and traditions. And though you had been dating for a couple years now, this was your first Christmas alone with Lindir. You were excited to have him all to yourself.
"Should I go start breakfast?" you asked, kissing his collarbone as you looked up at him.
"Mm, perhaps in a bit but right now I just want to enjoy this." His arms tightened around you and you slipped yours around his slim waist, your fingers finding their way under the t-shirt he wore to the warm skin beneath.
You lay there together for a while, drifting in and out of a lazy doze, sharing unhurried kisses, and enjoying the closeness. It was so rare that you could both lie in for so long. You could think of no better way to spend the morning. Soon, however, your stomach started to protest the lack of breakfast and you cursed your human needs.
"Okay, it's definitely time to get you some breakfast," Lindir laughed as your stomach growled.
You whined, clinging tighter to him and not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed and your love's embrace. Lindir scooped you up as if it were the easiest thing in the world. You were always amazed at his strength. Though he didn't look it, Lindir was surprisingly strong—due to his elvish nature you supposed. Your legs wrapped around his waist and you dragged a blanket off the end of the bed to wrap around yourself as Lindir carried you to the kitchen. He set you down on the counter and leaned in for a sweet, lingering kiss.
"You're making it really hard to want to make breakfast, melitse," you breathed. He loved hearing you speak in his native tongue, especially when it was to call him pet names.
Lindir gave you a quick kiss and then another to your cheek before he stepped away and headed to the pantry.
"As much as I would love to stand here kissing you all day, you need food. And I'm quite eager to try these muffins you've been going on about," he said, pulling ingredients out and setting them on the counter next to you.
You sighed, knowing he was right, and slid off the counter. You started the oven and set about slicing cranberries, mixing together the ingredients, and spooning the batter into the cups. You sprinkled the top of each with a pinch of orange zest and popped them in the oven.
"There. Muffins are baking. Now will you stand here kissing me all day?" you said, the corner of your mouth tilting up in a little smile.
He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, kissing you softly. "Perhaps all day is a little unrealistic, but I promise there will be no shortage of kisses for you, my dear," he said, his expression soft as he looked down at you. His eyes sparkled with something secretive and you frowned slightly as he pulled you into a hug. What was he hiding from you?
The cranberry orange muffins came out beautifully and you both ate them along with mugs of hot spiced Christmas tea. When you were sufficiently fed, you insisted on opening presents.
You had several gifts for Lindir including a beautiful dark purple cashmere sweater, an intricate silver hair clip you'd picked up at an elvish market, and a novel you had found while perusing the bookshop that sounded just perfect for him. You'd also filled the stocking you'd gotten him your first Christmas together with his favorite chocolates, knowing full well how much of a secret sweet tooth he had.
He had gotten you a few things as well; a little potted houseplant, a book you'd been wanting to read ever since it was announced, a scented candle that smelled like a Christmas tree forest and had little fir needles pressed into the wax, and a beautifully framed photo of the two of you that had been taken on a weekend getaway to the mountains Lindir had planned a few months before. It was a photo you hadn't seen before and you weren't sure who had taken it. In it, you and Lindir were smiling with your foreheads pressed together, noses brushing. His arms were securely around your waist and your hands held the sides of his neck, your fingertips tangled in his long, dark hair. Waterfalls cascaded behind you, blurred in the background while the two of you remained in clear focus. You remembered that moment; he had just told you that you were the most important person in his life. With the scenic waterfall views behind you, the setting had been so romantic you had almost convinced yourself he'd been about to propose. It must have been just after this picture was taken that the wind kicked up and blew the mist from the waterfall directly into your faces, leaving you both wet and cold but still laughing as you fled.
"Lin, this is…" Your voice caught in your throat. "This is so thoughtful. Thank you," you said as you pushed the discarded wrapping paper aside and crawled over to him, hugging him tightly and burying your face in the side of his neck. He returned your embrace and rubbed your back soothingly.
"Gi melin," you whispered into his skin.
"I love you too, darling."
With all the gifts exchanged, you and Lindir retreated to the couch, both of you excited to start the books you'd received. You both fell into your usual places, Lindir tucked into the corner with his feet propped up on the ottoman and you leaning back into his side with your legs stretched out along the length of the couch. This was a near nightly occurrence as both of you enjoyed reading and enjoyed each other's company even more.
You read for a while until your eyes started to get heavy. You couldn't help it; Lindir was warm and comfortable and would occasionally prop his book up between one bent leg and the arm of the couch, leaving one hand free to absently touch whatever part of you he could reach. He had wrapped his entire arm around you and was slowly stroking your side in a way that was much too relaxing.
"I think I'm gonna make some tea," you said, yawning halfway through. "You want some?"
"That would be lovely, melitse." He released you to extract yourself from the cushions.
A few minutes later you returned with two mugs—a Christmas one for you and Lindir's favorite for him. He happily accepted the drink and you sat down next to him.
"Looks like it might snow," you said, gazing out the window. It had been cloudy all day and it definitely looked cold enough. The panes of the windows were fogging around the edges with as warm and cozy as it was in the house.
"Perhaps you'll get that white Christmas you wanted after all," he said.
"That would be perfect," you sighed wistfully. "Nothing would make this day better."
"Is that so?" Lindir said, the secretive look from that morning in the kitchen was back.
"Yes?" you said, but now you sounded unsure.
"So baking cookies wouldn't make this day better?"
Oh! Of course that's what he meant. You shook your head fondly. His sweet tooth could never be satisfied.
"Okay fine, maybe snow isn't the only thing that could make this day better," you conceded. "I take that to mean you're helping me bake then?"
"Absolutely," he said with a smile.
Forty-five minutes later the cookies were ready to go in the oven but flour and chocolate chips covered the counter. Lindir had a smear of flour across his cheek and you had some in your hair. He cupped your cheeks and leaned down to give you a chocolate-flavored kiss.
"Why don't you go shower and I'll clean all this up," he said with a little laugh, surveying the mess you'd made. He liked for everything to be tidy so you knew this was probably driving him crazy.
"Thank you, meleth." You hurried off to the bathroom to wash up.
Once you were clean, and after lingering a little longer than normal under the hot water, you got dressed in an outfit you'd been saving especially for the holiday, dried your hair, and went back into the kitchen. Lindir looked up from where he was washing dishes at the sink.
"Oh," was the only thing he managed to get out. His eyes went wide as he took in your appearance.
"See something you like?" you teased. Lindir's cheeks immediately went pink.
"Meleth nín, you are beautiful."
You bit your bottom lip and ducked your head in a failed attempt to hide your smile. "Thank you."
"I'm afraid I must look rather messy in comparison," he said, looking suddenly very self-conscious.
"You look adorable, Lin," you said softly as you reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze. "But a shower would make you feel better, I'm sure."
He nodded and left the kitchen as you dried everything he'd washed and put it away. With the kitchen back to it's usually tidy state, you went back to the living room to continue reading your book.
Half an hour later, Lindir returned and it was your turn to be stunned into silence. He was wearing the sweater you had gifted him earlier that morning and it looked just as good as you had hoped it would. He had picked a pair of slim dark grey pants to go with it. His hair shone like silk and he had added two thin braids—one on each side—in front of each pointed ear.
"Does it look alright?" he asked, turning a bit to let you see the whole outfit. He was wearing the silver clip as well which looked lovely against his dark hair.
"Alright? Lin, you look... wow," you said in a rush of breath. You stepped closer and rose onto your toes to kiss him. "Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous."
The pink dusting his cheeks only darkened at your words. "Hannon le," he murmured. "I thought perhaps we could go on a walk around town? See the lights now that it's getting dark?"
"That sounds perfect. Let me just go get my coat," you said, beaming at him.
You checked your phone, confirming it was just as cold out as it looked and put on a cream colored knit hat, scarf, and mittens in addition to your coat. Lindir was ready to go when you returned, dressed in a black peacoat and a soft wine-colored wool scarf.
Together you stepped out into the cold, one mitten-clad hand holding Lindir's. You headed down the street at a leisurely pace, stopping every once in a while to admire a particularly nice house. Warm twinkling lights brightened the dark streets and you leaned into Lindir's side, admiring the decorations. You walked for a while more until you reached the little park that was a few streets over. A little gazebo stood in the middle of the park, wrapped in lights. As you got closer you could see the inside was lit as well, lights strung up so it almost looked like the roof was made of stars rather than wood. You were gazing up at it in wonder, so transfixed by the magic of it that you didn't even notice Lindir had let go of your hand. When you turned back around to see his reaction you gasped, mittened hands covering your mouth.
"Lin?" your voice wobbled as you slowly lowered your mittens from your face.
Lindir was on one knee in front of you, looking far less anxious than you would have expected. He looked calm. Steady. Sure.
"In elvish culture, we believe that every person has One that they're meant to be with. Sometimes it can take a long time for elves to find their One. Sometimes we find them straight away. But when you do find them, you just know . I've known for a while now that you are mine. I love you with my entire being and I want nothing more than to love you for the rest of my life. Will you-"
You were already nodding, tears spilling over and down your cheeks. Wiping ineffectually at your face with your mittens, you choked back a little sob that turned into a laugh.
Lindir was back on his feet and pulling you into his arms, wiping the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. You grabbed his scarf and tugged him down to kiss him,. The kiss was very wet and tearful but perfect all the same.
"Marry me?" he asked, laughing. You realized he hadn't even finished asking you before you were agreeing.
"Oh, yes," you said, through tearful laughter. "Of course I will." Your voice took on a more serious tone when you said, "it's always been you, Lin."
His arms tightened around you, holding you as close as he could. "Gi i velethril e-guil nîn," he murmured against the top of your head, pressing a soft kiss there.
"Oh!" he said, as he pulled back and reached into his pocket. He produced a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful ring, simple in its design but more beautiful than any other you'd seen because it was yours given to you by the one you loved most dearly. You tugged off your mitten and let him slip the ring onto your finger. You didn't think you would ever stop smiling.
"I believe you have a Christmas tradition that involves that?" he said, gesturing up at the center of the roof where a little sprig of mistletoe hung down from the center of the lights, tied with a little red bow.
You smiled softly at him and slipped your arms around his neck, standing on your toes to kiss him. His arms twined around your waist, holding you close as he deepened the kiss. You pressed yourself as close to him as you could. When you opened your eyes, you gasped. It had started to snow.
"I did say the only thing that could make today any better was snow, right? Looks like I was right, I just spoke a little too soon. Lin, this is the most perfect Christmas, the most perfect day I've ever had."
"I would have nothing less for you, meleth nín," he said softly. "Now, we should probably get home before it snows too much. Those shoes don't look suitable for this weather and I don't know about you, but I'd much prefer to watch it from the window, perhaps under a blanket with cocoa?"
"That sounds wonderful," you agreed, looping your arm through his to avoid slipping on the quickly worsening condition of the sidewalks.
Once you were home, you both changed out of your nice clothes and into something comfortable. Lindir was waiting for you on the couch with your favorite big fluffy blanket and two mugs of hot chocolate, as promised. You sat down and curled into his side. The large blanket was spread over you both. He wrapped his arm around you and you rested your head on his shoulder.
You watched the snow, which had started to fall very quickly now, blanket the world outside. You were happy and safe in your own little world with Lindir.
"I meant to ask earlier, who took that picture of us? The one from the mountains that you gave me today?" You lifted your head so you could look at him.
Lindir went pink all the way to the tips of his pointed ears. "I um," he looked terribly embarrassed. "I was going to ask you then. Propose, I mean. I'd hired a photographer to capture the whole thing but then everything at the falls happened and we were all wet and the mood was ruined and it didn't feel like the right time anymore. I wanted it to be perfect for you. She didn't get many pictures before things went awry, but that one was my favorite. You looked so genuinely happy and you didn't know she was there so it was all real."
"Was she there tonight?" you asked. You weren't sure you would have even noticed if she had been there, caught up as you were in everything.
"No. I decided tonight should just be between you and I. I'll never forget how you looked or how you reacted or how it felt to hold you," he said simply.
"Neither will I," you said, tucking your head against his shoulder again.
"I hope you had a lovely Christmas."
"It was the best Christmas I've ever had. And I'm glad I got to spend it with you."
"Me too, melitse," he whispered.
You sat snuggled together while the snow came down outside, safe and warm with your love. You looked down at your hand and watched the way the lights of your Christmas tree reflected and twinkled off the ring. Then you closed your eyes, leaned back against Lindir’s chest, and listened to the steady beating of his heart.