Work Text:
A Very Not White Christmas:
Darkstalker was half annoyed, half excited. On one talon, he doesn't have the best memories of the IceWing holiday. But on the other talon, he can spoil his friends and family, especially Turtle, without them griping. So he liked and hated it. The holiday in question? The Ice Dragon Accession Day, but obviously no one wants to say that all so it was shortened to Icemas.
He guessed he had to explain what exactly Icemas is. And, sadly, he knows plenty on how the holiday worked from his father. The holiday is an IceWing religious holiday that celebrates the Great Ice Dragon’s accession to godhood. But roughly 1000 years before him, an unknown dragon started giving the unranked IceWings gifts, usually food, during the night before. No one has ever seen or found out who, or what, was doing it. But it kept going for almost a hundred years before stopping. It was a theory that the dragon had finally died. But many of the unranked decided to keep his work up and started to give each other presents. And that was how the modern version of the holiday was created. It has evolved slightly, obviously, but it’s stayed mostly the same. A decorated ice, or real, tree is chosen where everyone puts something to give to someone under it that they receive during the morning. There is also a feast that happens during the dinner. The nobles though tend to just do the feast.
Now, you might be wondering why this holiday is important. Well… Winter… Well, not really him. He only mentioned it because he will miss it. Qibli was the reason really. He, with Moon, decided that they can celebrate it with Winter. Then he mentioned it to Duchess Thorn, then like a wild fire in a thick forest, it spread around everywhere. Once the RainWings declared their gonna celebrate it also, the other tribes followed suit. Lucky or unlucky, he was looking for a holiday that he could declare a continental holiday…So that’s why everyone is celebrating it now.
“You gonna allow me to move?” He heard the heavenly voice speak up, moving him out of his thoughts. He had his forelegs wrapped around his favorite SeaWing and his head tucked into his neck. He hummed, the vibration transferring bodies. He tightened his grip, pulling him in more. This only caused the dragon to sigh and nuzzle back into him. He smiled, and for a while, he was content… Then the door flew open off its hinges.
“OK! I WAS ASSIGNED TO GET YOU UP! SO WAKE YOUR ASSES UP!!” He sighed in misery as his ears twitched.
“Peril…” He muttered as he moved his head up and blinked at her. He glanced at Turtle and saw him do the same.
“What? I don’t think I heard you…” Turtle spoke next as he yawned before wiggling out of his possessive talons. He kept the frown from reaching outside though as he sat up fully. Peril tilted her head. He could see the copper bracelet on foreleg, its color blending with her fiery scales. Probably has it on to not accidentally burn the decorations. Also explains why the door is not on fire
“I can be louder if you want.” He internally sighed at Peril’s words. The orange SkyWing is an interesting dragon, but he respects her.
“We would kindly say no to that.” Turtle responded back and she grinned with a loud ‘hah’.
“But do take my thanks for allowing me to be free. I can finally escape.” He gasped in hurt, putting his talon over his chest. He looked down at the green dragon.
“You're betraying me? How could you?” Turtle snickered, his smile breaking out.
“I don’t know. Maybe because you are too distracting. You held me against my will in the beginning. You took over the entire world. You are way too possessive-” He then cut him off.
“I’m distracting? So sorry for being too handsome.” Turtle laughed at his words. And he smiled big like a little hatchling. He loved it when Turtle laughed. A small voice did speak about him laughing at him, but he pushed it into a pit far in his heart.
“Sure, Darky. We will go with that.” He felt the smallest bit of his scales grow darker at the nickname. And his grin stayed even through the gagging noises of Peril.
“Ugg, now is not the time for your weird way of flirting. We got to head out, it is almost midday.” She rolled her eyes before looking off to the side at the door on the ground. “Also, not sorry for the door.”
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Outside in the court in front of the palace was a massive ice sculpture in the shape of a pine tree. He wanted it to be a real tree to at least distance the holiday from the IceWings slightly. But Moon gave him the look and he brugidly agreed to the Ice Tree. Of course this means it is Animus created to make sure it didn’t melt in the warmer temperatures. The whole thing is roughly three stories tall and roughly two dragons lengths wide at the base. Everyone in the kingdom had put different decorations throughout the branches. Ranging from homemade carvings, jewels, metal lines called tinsel, and even homemade children decorations that he made sure to enchant the tree to make sure they don't get destroyed. Then there was arguably the most important one. At the very top was a metal circle with a jade carved into a turtle in it, an onyx crescent moon taking over one side of it. It was large and he was proud of it. Especially when he heard Turtle blush about it in his thoughts.
Next came all the boxes of gifts placed under it. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different size boxes painted in a range of colors filled the space under the lowest ice branches (there is a reason the tree has to be so large). It is supposed to just be a tree per town, but there aren't really towns for the night kingdom. Just one main palace since he is an emperor, so they could only do one. Mind you, he could have allowed it to be a tree for a section, but he wanted to show off over the other palaces. There were still a few dragons flying, or walking, in before putting their presents underneath the tree. They would then pile in around it and look up the main balcony he used to give speeches to his fellow dragon from. He would be giving some speech about celebrating who we are and peace and all that bla bla. It might not sound like it, but he doesn't hate doing it. He likes everyone looking at him and listening… it just…causes the thoughts of… who he could be… to come up…
He gave Turtle a nudge and a wink, smiling down at him. “Good luck to me, eh?” He let his mind focus on the blushing look Turtle gave during his speech. And not on the many reflections that tree shown of him, so many showing what he could have been…He hated how a majority were of that one version of him…
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The day pressed on like usual, talks and thoughts on what they think are getting flocking around everyone's heads. But that’s not what was in Darkstalker’s thoughts. No, his thoughts, hidden behind an embarrassed wall, were thinking about tonight. He remembered back then that one time they switched sizes. He didn’t expect to… like it so much. So he decided to make a bracelet (very original) that would switch their sizes as long as one of them wore it. It was a flawless plan. Talk to Turtle. Give him the early present. Get fucked by him. Celebrate Icemas the next day. Easy peasy… He hoped… No. No. He’s Darkstalker! Emperor of Phyrria! He can do this!
“...Darkstalker?” He gracefully jumped into the air and let out a very drakly yelp. The small box flew up into the air, and he frantically tried to catch it in the air. In his surprise he silently enchanted it to freeze and grabbed it when it stopped movement. He then turned towards the very confused and concerned SeaWing and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile (spoiler alert, it wasn’t).
“Oh, Turtle! Perfect timing! Um…” Come on Darkstalker! What happened to your smugness from before?! “Here-” He pushed the small box into Turtle’s talons. “Open this.”
“...You know we're supposed to wait until morning, right?” Turtle asked with a head tilt. His thoughts echoed his confusion. He raised a talon and rubbed the side of his neck.
“It’s… not really something for that.” He answered.
“Ooook?” Turtle sounded out the word before looking down at the box. It was a simple wooden box that would be used for jewelry. It was what was inside that was important. And that’s when he flipped it open. He could see and hear the different emotions flash back and the one that mainly stayed was confusion. He could see him reach a hand in and carefully pull it out. And by the realization flinging past his eyes, he realized it was enchanted. His eyes glanced up and looked at him. Really looked at him. Stiff posture. Refusing direct eye contact. Faint blush. Wings covering his body… That’s when Turtle started to blush, his scales turning darker.
“Oh… Is it for?...” He shyly asked and he nodded. Ok, you can do this, be strong for a bit longer, then you don’t have to.
“Yes… Remember that one time we switched sizes? It does that… I was hoping… We can spend a night together like that… if you want of course!” He moved his head down closer. “I will never force you, if you just want to do it normally or don’t at all that’s fine! I-” He was then cut off.
“You're allowing us to switch sizes and you're worried I would say No?” The voice startled him slightly, but it made him stop talking. He looked at his face, the soft smile, the eyes, the lips. He calmed down but didn't move his head away. Turtle looked away and back down to the bracelet in his hand… then he slid it over his talon… He felt it right after, the weird but nice feeling as he started to look less down and more equal, then upwards. And after a few seconds, the movement was over and he was looking up at a magnificent giant. Turtle was inspecting his body before looking down… He laughed, and he laughed back.
“Great reef, I'm still not used to seeing you this small.” He was smiling as they both came down from their fits.
“Same here. You look more deadly that size, like a giant unmovable wall.” He chuckled out.
“Are you making fun of my blubber?” Turtle tilted his head with a raised eye ridge. He huffed.
“You know well that I am not.” Now it was Turtle who chuckled and he couldn’t hold back his own chuckle either.
“Yeah I know. Just teasing…” He responded as they both became quiet, staring at each other for a bit…
…He was the first to break.
“Are we just going to eye fuck each other or…?” He asked with a grin. Turtle rolled his eyes and leaned down. Their maws mashed together in unison. HIs taking up more space. He loved it, and he wanted more. Then either Turtle gained mind reading or that was coincidental, because he pulled away before crawling on the bed. The SeaWing didn’t even have to give him a look before he was on also. He ignored the fact he failed the first time getting on, smacking his foreleg against the bed. He doesn't want to talk about that.