Work Text:
Roasted coffee beans warm the air around her, yet the heat does little to comfort the girl. In the middle of a kitchen rebuilt on their memories, she sighs into the mug, where the resignation in her eyes dance along the caramel reflection.
She knows it isn’t Caleb’s fault. After all, matters concerning the Deepspace Tunnel are especially important for the Farspace Fleet’s Colonel. When duty calls, he has to take that message in stride—even if that means cutting their holiday plans short, just as the week of Christmas came upon them.
Caleb sighed back then, a restlessness in his eyes. “I’ll make this a quick trip.”
Around them, busybodys pace to and fro at the train station, where Caleb would soon blend into their flow. The holiday rush was no joke, and neither was the concern she brought up. “Speed isn’t what I’m worried about, but you.”
She tugged on the ends of his scarf, making sure his body warmth doesn’t go misplaced. The glint of silver nestled over his heart winks at her at the same time. With a lifted chin, she nodded. “I’m good at waiting. Just… come back to me, like you always do. Safe and sound.”
Caleb’s gaze softened, and a conceding smile acknowledged her words. “You got it, Commander.” His lips pressed to her forehead, lingering for a moment more than usual. “I won’t let you down.”
The sip of coffee in the present is bittersweet, just as the exhale that follows. Minutes following their separation warped into hours alone back at their house in Linkon. And of course, the world keeps spinning, but it doesn’t deter her from keeping the atmosphere alive.
Her efforts shine bright in the living room, where she leaves the warm mug behind. In the corner, a tree stands proud, adorned with handmade ornaments and soft lights glowing throughout its greenery. Both her presents and his take shelter at the base, bows and strings differentiating their respective gifter. Before a melancholy could overwhelm her at the mere thought of his absence, she strides towards the windows by the front of the house.
Snow falls silently from beyond these four walls, and slightly fogs the glass. The condensation is crisp and cold against her finger, but she pays it no mind. Old habits die hard, and the shapes born from her touch come from those earlier years of doodling with him. The two apples stand at each other’s side, their little hands met in the middle. She gives the smaller apple a rather sour expression, in its mouth as a sharp caret and brows drawn downwards.
Just as she lifts her finger to add the next face, her entire being goes still. Speechless, with eyes wide out of fear that one blink would render it gone, her racing heart tries makes sense of what’s before her.
There, in the front yard, is a figure once blurred by the glass that nearly went unnoticed. Snow continues to gather on their form, dusting them over like a fine pastry. Their head is tucked down, hands busy on a particular patch on the ground. One, where, she had planted a young sapling many moons ago.
And by some miracle, that familiar, damning silver glint catches her eye. It really is him.
Caution is thrown to the wind, and equally, so is the front door. Her heart acts before her mind could, footsteps embracing the wintery world. Despite the cold, a warmth surges through her and carries itself onto her tongue as she cries out, “Gege!”
Caleb’s head snaps up at the sound. From the tips of his ears to the point of his nose, their flush accompanies his agape mouth. Schooling his features, he quickly dusts his hands over his knees and starts to stand, no longer occupied. “Meimei, you—oof?”
The sudden impact steals his reply, and the girl buries her face into his chest, arms tightly wrapped around his torso—something of a force stronger than the Earth’s gravitational pull. He instinctively keeps her against him, lifting his jacket to shield her from the fluttering snow. It’s an embrace she wordlessly takes, pressing herself so impossibly close that their bodies practically become one. Their heartbeats follow each other in this proximity.
“Meimei,” Caleb sighs knowingly, “you’ll catch a cold running out like this.” Yet past his light reprimand, his hand pats the crown of her head dearly. “We wouldn’t want you feeling under the weather right before the new year starts, right?”
She finally looks up at him then, petulance tugging at her lips. “Says the one who was sitting out in the cold all by himself,” she points out. “Without telling me you’re back, no less.”
His chin gestures toward the aforementioned entrance left unattended. “I didn’t even make it to the door before you could let me try.”
She curls a fist inside his jacket and lightly jabs at his side. “Gege, you’re so annoying.”
Caleb’s mouth twitches into a helpless smile. “Well, this annoying Gege is back home safe and sound, just like he promised.”
He leans down, brushing his cold nose to hers. With fluttering lashes and a happy hum, he lowers his voice. “I’m home.”
Her mask of annoyance falls in her returned nuzzle, unable to truly stay mad at him for long. “Welcome back,” she sighs in relief and affection alike. “I missed you, Ge.”
“Clearly, since you were even willing to abandon your masterpiece on the window,” comes his teasing. “Should we go back inside so you can add the final touches? I think someone’s missing a face…”
“Hm, good thing my model came back just in time,” she remarks, giving the frosted doodle a glance. Her excitement wriggles out of his embrace and tugs on his sleeve, dragging him back to their home. "I’m sure he knows what kind of expression it needs.”
Caleb slips his hand into hers, keeping their connection secure. The two of them step back into a world that belongs to them and close the snow behind. Halfway through peeling off his jacket, he takes a deep inhale and raises a brow. “You made coffee?”
She nods, fingers busy with undoing his scarf. Once the fabric is folded, she leaves it atop one of the hallway cabinets. “The grocery store kept promoting this brand with a red tin for the holidays. Something about real coffee and it being the best part of waking up?”
“Huh. Never heard of it before.”
Their conversation walks with them into the kitchen, where a nutty aroma permeates their senses the strongest. “Not even in Skyhaven?”
“Nope.” Caleb shakes his head. “Sounds like a pretty old brand.”
“Then I guess that makes it our special coffee,” she decides. “Until we run out, anyways.”
He rubs at his chin. “We could always mix it with apple juice too.”
“That…” She pauses, wanting to question his tastes. But in his fairness, there really are coffees out there that have a touch of fruit in them that work well.
Decidedly, she shrugs the judgement off. “You know what? Don't knock it until you try it.”
“True, true. I’ll go—”
“Wait!”
She squarely places both hands on his shoulders, manuvering him away from the kitchen he had set his sights on. “Go change into something more comfortable first. I’ll pour you a cup instead, okay?”
“It’s just coffee.” Though he doesn’t fight it, Caleb still tilts his head back with a brow raised. “You know, someone also ran head first into the snow earlier. In the same pajamas, too. Shouldn’t she be the one to go upstairs instead of me?”
“You gave me cover, so I barely got anything on me,” she reasons. When his gaze remains unrelenting on hers, she juts out her lip. “Oh come on! The sooner you go, the sooner we can have that coffee together.”
Caleb looks sideways, feigning a hum. “I don’t knooow. What’s the magic word?”
She rolls her eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“No, I’m your Gege,” comes his reply, “and I think my Meimei is hiding something from me. Isn’t that right?”
“I didn’t even say anything!”
He turns slightly to swipe at her nose. “No one knows your tastes better than I do. And that includes that little glimmer in your eyes when you’re schemin’ something.”
“Ahem!” A warmth digs into her cheeks, unable to deny something as simple as that. “Believe whatever you want. Now hurry up and go so I can do you this little favor.”
When he only blinks at her, she adds on quickly, “Please.”
Satisfied, Caleb gently pats her head. “Still bossing me around just like when we were younger. Alright, I’ll let you relive it a little longer while I change.”
Only when he starts to make his way upwards and heard the click of a door does she let out a relieved sigh. True to her word, she turns on her heel towards the kitchen. Above the bubbling brew, she opens the cabinet and skims for a particular mug. His, a muted orange and with a rounded base similar to hers. All in the nick of time, as familiar footsteps began to descend the stairs. Her back presses against the surface’s edge instinctively, while her hands begin their work between the hot carafe and the ceramic.
Caleb reappears at the archway, arms stretching over his head and dressed in a set of blue pajamas. The slight raise gives way to his abdomen, a peek of his toned muscle before it’s hidden back. By the time he shuffles over, the last drop of rich, dark coffee falls in place.
She blows across the surface before raising the mug in offering to his presence. “No apple in it just yet, but it’s freshly brewed all the same.”
“Oh? Thank you.” He leans down, lips to the rim and takes a careful sip. His gaze slowly drifts towards hers, ones that were already attentively on his face. “It’s a little sour.”
“I mean, you do like sour things. So it can’t be that bad…” She carefully pulls the hot drink back and brings it to her lips, opposite of where his were. The bitterness that greets her tongue causes her to frown, though it brings a chuckle of out him.
“Your dedication to the cause is admirable,” he remarks, “but I’ll take it from here.”
Caleb eases her hold and takes the mug in one hand, mirroring her leaned posture against the counter. He welcomes the coffee with another swallow. “By the way, I saw something that reminded me of you on my way back.”
She raises a brow. “Really?”
“Really.” A wave of his free hand shimmers in blue and carries into sight a small box. Silver wraps every corner and on top, sits a red, plastic bow. “All yours. Open it whenever you want, doesn't have to be now.”
The gravity gently dissipates when her fingers wrap around the object. It weighs against her palms in anticipation and she gives it a momentary shake. Sturdy, without much give.
“Then I’ll save it for later. Because right now,” she says, fingers toying with the adhesive ribbon, “there’s another gift I’d really like to open first.”
Swiftly, she peels off the red piece and smacks it onto his shoulder. Caleb’s breath is stunted at the newfound accessory, before it melts into an understanding chuckle. He’s just as quick to put away the mug and open his arms to welcome her jumping form seconds later. Two puzzle pieces who have found their place, her legs are snug around his torso and chest pressed into one another. His hands cup underneath her legs, slowly sliding along the curve of her ass to keep her steady.
“Your excuses are getting more creative the older you get,” Caleb teases.
“No idea what you’re talking about.” Though, it betrays the coy shadow of her gaze and fingers toying at his nape. “You said it’s all mine. So I’m just making sure my big brother knows who he belongs to.” She presses her forehead to his, finding a sense of victory from his sharp inhale and sweetens her tone. “Isn’t that right, Gege?”
Caleb gives her thighs a careful squeeze. And in a low mutter, he says, “You have me.”
Her nose bumps his, with lips just a ghosting touch away from their place of peace. When he meets her halfway, she welcomes him in a long-awaited kiss. Their breaths mingle together in a sweetness that overcomes the coffee roast underneath them. Her fingers caress the back of his head and unwilling to let this paradise go just yet, keeps him closer. Her teeth gently tug at his lower lip, rewarding her with a pleasant groan blossomed from his throat.
Unspoken craving keeps them satiated and unable to truly pull away from one another, damning even the Earth’s gravitational pull.
And though neither wish to surrender this moment, Caleb carefully eases her to stand before him—just to be safe. Parting from his lips in a daze, she lazily circles her arms over his shoulders. He ducks down and finds solace in the crook of her neck, where she smells of home and comfort. Their embrace stays entwined, passing heat through their cotton shirts and quiet heartbeats in sync.