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Ethan groaned as he sank down onto the couch, glad to finally be off his feet. His right ankle still felt tender from where he broke it several weeks ago, so every step he didn’t have to take was a relief.
Beside him, Ilsa chuckled quietly as she closed the book she had been reading, and instead turned to face him. Her raised eyebrow and slight smirk already let him know what she was going to say.
“I know,” he sighed before she had a chance to speak. “I should have listened to you when you told me to take it more slowly.”
“Mhh,” Ilsa just hummed and remained quiet. Her elbow had come to rest on the back of the couch and her chin was propped in her palm. Her smirk had softened into a gentle smile as she looked at him, and without consciously meaning to, he returned her smile.
“What?” He prodded with a quiet, slightly-confused laugh.
Ilsa shrugged with one shoulder. “I’m just glad you can acknowledge when your body needs rest.” With another eyebrow quirk, she added, “That hasn’t always been the case.”
Ethan gave her a slight nod, conceding her point. That was all the answer Ilsa needed to make her smile widen. She leaned forward to press a quick kiss against his lips.
“I’m going to get some more wood for the fireplace before it gets any worse out there, and then I’m making us a hot drink. You have until I’m back from the shed to decide which drink it’ll be.”
And with that she was off, heading across the living room to the back door, where she simultaneously slipped her sock-clad feet into her boots and donned her thick winter coat, before heading out into the snow.
As the heavy wooden door creaked shut behind her, Ethan found himself grinning sappily at the closed door. The two of them had been staying in this tiny, remote cabin in Norway for the past three days, and Ethan hadn’t felt this content in a long time.
It was their first, non-work-related outing together as a couple, and they were going to be spending their first Christmas together.
He felt his stomach tingle at the thought and smiled even more widely. He hadn’t spent Christmas with anyone since Julia, and even before his short-lived marriage, he hadn’t had anyone to spend it with. Or stayed in one place long enough to even spare a thought for the Holidays.
So getting to share this experience with Ilsa, who’d had similar luck with past Christmases, was truly special, for both of them.
Ethan threw a glance towards the small kitchen area to his left and shortly considered getting a head start on those drinks. He disregarded the idea almost as soon as it had occurred, however, knowing that Ilsa wouldn’t be amused at him. She always threw him dirty looks when he did tasks she deemed unnecessary, preferring for him to rest his ankle instead.
Usually, Ethan didn’t like to be coddled, but in this case, especially with Ilsa, he didn’t mind. It didn’t make him feel less in any way but cherished and loved. He knew she only wanted what was best for him, after all.
So instead of getting up to prepare some hot chocolate, he grabbed the throw blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over his legs.
Next, he grabbed his own book off the coffee table and flipped back to where he had left it last night.
He had read two and a half pages by the time the door opened again and Ilsa reentered the cabin, closely followed by a gust of icy wind. Her hair and coat were almost completely covered with sparkling snow and her cheeks were red from the cold.
Ethan thought she looked simply beautiful.
“Holy fuck, it’s bloody cold outside!” She exclaimed, sounding disgusted. Snowflakes dislodged from her hair and drifted onto her face as she started to unzip her coat. She swatted them away in annoyance.
Ethan laughed, biting his lip quickly when she glared at him. He couldn’t banish the grin completely off his face, however, and teased, “I don’t know what to tell you, my love, but it’s winter, we’re in Norway, and…you chose this place.”
“Oh, shut it, darling, ” she shot back, trying to sound serious, but he could see her eyes already crinkling at the corners, the first tell-tale sign of her mirth.
“Yes, dear,” he grinned, “but before I shall shut it I insist you come over here and let me give you a kiss. Simply so that I can warm your lips for you, of course.”
Ilsa snorted, and her grin finally broke free. “Oh, of course.”
She did as he had asked; chucking her boots and coat quickly, then dumping the firewood in the basket beside the fireplace, before making her way back over to the couch.
She leaned down and hovered above his face. “They do need some warming up.”
He leaned up to meet her halfway, breathing against her lips, “The lady’s wish is my command,” before they spent the next few minutes on the couch, with Ethan doing his utmost to warm Ilsa back up.
“So,” Ilsa murmured several long minutes later, after she had regained her usual temperature - and then some. “What’s your drink of choice, then?”
“Hot chocolate with some of that mint liquor,” he murmured against her temple, simply because he knew she had a fondness for hot chocolate, as well as mint-flavored things, and he loved watching that happy sparkle enter her eyes whenever he did something she appreciated.
As he had hoped, she smiled happily at him as she crawled off his lap, pressing a last, lingering kiss to his lips. She then headed towards the kitchen and started puttering around.
Ethan watched her every now and then, in between paragraphs of his book, unable to keep his eyes off of her for long. She noticed, of course, and blew him a playful kiss whenever she caught him staring.
For any outsiders, they had to seem utterly ridiculous, but Ethan found he couldn’t care less. They were happy, and that was all that mattered to him at that moment.
A few minutes later, Ilsa returned with their hot chocolate, her hair still slightly damp from the snow and falling fetchingly around her face. After handing him his mug, she settled into the opposite side of the couch, their legs tangling in the middle. The fire and blanket were doing a good job of keeping their bodies warm, and now their drink, perfectly prepared, warmed their insides pleasantly as well. Ethan hummed happily as the mint and chocolate flavor exploded on his tongue.
“This is nice,” Ilsa sighed a moment later, saying what he had been thinking just then. He grinned, pleased to know that they were still as in sync as ever.
“It really is,” he answered. “I’m so glad we did this.”
“Me too,” Ilsa smiled, affectionately nudging her foot against his thigh. "I guess there is an upside to you breaking your ankle, after all."
Ethan tickled her feet in retaliation, making her giggle.
They spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, reading and enjoying each other’s company until their stomachs began to grumble almost simultaneously. Laughing, Ilsa got up to make them something to eat, but Ethan protested.
“Ilsa, I’m feeling bad having you do everything. At least let me help you dice the vegetables. I can even fetch a chair and sit down while doing that,” he implored.
Ilsa bit her lip while she pondered his offer, shortly distracting him from his thoughts.
“Alright, fine,” she relented. “But no wheedling your way into doing more than that!”
Ethan huffed a laugh. She knew him too well. “Fine, fine.”
And he did behave himself; simply dicing the veggies, as promised, and then he just remained sitting on his chair and kept Ilsa company in the kitchen.
This, too, was a novelty for them. They hardly ever had time to actually cook anything while out on missions, so a home-cooked meal was far and few between.
Ethan had always been a visual kinda guy, and getting to see Ilsa whirl around the small kitchen, preparing their meal with practiced moves, was the best entertainment he could imagine right now.
He knew she knew that he was staring again - he could tell by the light dusting of red on her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold this time, and the smile she tried to keep hidden from him - so on her next pass by his chair, he gently grasped her wrist and tugged her onto his lap. She squeaked quietly in surprise and playfully rolled her eyes at him. “I need to finish the sauce, baby,” she protested, but by her tone, he could tell she didn’t mind the interruption at all.
“In a minute,” he murmured and captured her lips with his, carefully teasing them apart with a flick of his tongue. Ilsa sighed softly against his mouth before she all too willingly parted her lips, granting his seeking tongue access. She shifted on his lap so that her legs were on either side of his, and her hands found their way into his hair, teasing along the nape of his neck. He shivered and could feel his lower parts reacting to her actions and proximity. His own hands cupped her hips, fingers teasing along the hot skin underneath her shirt.
Before they could get completely carried away, Ilsa tore her mouth away from his, panting. “Hold that thought until after dinner, alright?”
Ethan groaned, suddenly not all that hungry for food anymore, but also not wanting to let her efforts go to waste. He nodded. “You bet.”
He squeezed her hips one last time before she climbed off his lap.
Thankfully, their dinner had survived their impromptu makeout session, and a few minutes later, Ethan was already savoring the delicious homemade meal.
“This is fantastic,” he praised. “Thank you for cooking.”
Ilsa gave him that smile again that he loved so much. “You’re welcome, love.”
They finished their dinner over an easy conversation and shared laughter. Eventually, the conversation turned to their teammates. “Have you heard from Benji or Luther?” Ilsa asked.
Swallowing his last bite, Ethan nodded. “I spoke to both of them earlier. They’re both spending Christmas with their families. They say hi.”
Ilsa gave him a look, knowing there was something else he wasn't telling her.
Ethan grumbled playfully, before he finished with, “And they told me to tell you that if I get too annoying because I can’t sit still for more than three minutes, to just dump me in a hole in the woods and leave me there, because nobody would ever find me there anyway.”
Ilsa bit her lip to keep from laughing. Mirth colored her voice as she said, “That idea isn't too shabby. The first day, I really was considering to at least tie you to the bed. And not because I wanted to have my way with you.”
“Hey!” He laughed, then playfully wagged his eyebrows, “And what about tonight? Wanna have your way with me then?”
She tapped her fingers against her lips, as if deep in thought. “I might. You’ve been such a good boy today, after all.”
Ilsa then simply got up and started clearing their dishes, as if nothing had happened.
“God, you’re evil,” he breathed and shifted in his chair.
Ilsa just cackled, enjoying his predicament.
As they lay in bed later that night, after Ilsa had indeed had her way with him (and he had then returned the favor, twice), facing each other in the dim moonlight, he watched as Ilsa fought to keep her eyes open. He smiled softly.
“Go to sleep, love,” he whispered and Ilsa hummed.
“But I like watching you like this. The way the moonlight is painting your face is very fetching,” she protested sleepily. A second later, a yawn took over her features and she quickly pressed her face into her pillow to stifle it.
Ethan chuckled, smitten. His hand reached across the small distance between them to trail his fingertips along her cheek in a gentle caress.
“Merry Christmas, my love,” he whispered, watching as a slow smile appeared on her lips, where her face was not hidden by the pillow.
Ilsa resurfaced and shuffled closer to him so that she could press a loving kiss to his lips. “Merry Christmas, darling,” she whispered back, her eyes closed, content.
His nose slid against hers as he slotted their lips together in another gentle kiss, and he smiled into it as he felt Ilsa hum against his mouth. “I love you,” she murmured, and as always when he heard those words from her, the butterflies in his stomach went into overdrive.
Ethan slid his arm under her shoulders, and lay on his back, pulling her with him. Her head came to a rest on his shoulder, and she tucked her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel her breathing begin to even out a moment later. Pressing one last kiss against her forehead, he breathed, “I love you, too,” against her skin.
Before he drifted into a deep sleep, Ethan hoped that he got to spend every Christmas like this from now on - holding the woman he loved in his arms.
~fin