Work Text:
There wasn’t much different about Christmas on Drum. It snowed all year round, one year the lights had gone up and never come down again, and the trees were evergreens. But, the atmosphere was charged with the holiday spirit regardless. Your specialty? Tea. It was a niche specialty to have, but in such a cold climate your ability to offer a tea for every occasion made a surprising amount of berri - especially since you were officially endorsed by local hero Dalton. He was your husband after all.
This year, you’d been working on a new seasonal blend. You’d always offered a seasonal blend, but this year you really wanted to try something new. Your past blends had been black tea based, with cinnamon and cardamom. Simple, warm, Christmas-y. Dalton was always your taste tester when it came to new products, even if he’d never been much of a tea drinker before the two of you began dating, and he’d been helping you work out what the new blend would be. After all, December was knocking on your door and you needed to get this on the shelves.
You were drying the components for your newest attempt at the Christmas blend, and Dalton was in another room working on.. something or other. You were mostly focused on your own work, absently spinning the ring on your finger. You sighed and looked at the components, and decided it was time to start. You gathered your bettle and set it to boil on the stove, and the strainer for the tea - it was loose leaf after all. Dalton perked up as the kettle whistled, and padded through to the kitchen to wrap his arms around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder.
“Looks good. Never seen orange in your attempts before.” He mused, looking at the strainer filled with the new blend.
“You’re talking about the colour but that is actually orange, the fruit.” You replied, and he hummed softly, curious about your new venture.
“It’s different. I think this might be genius, love.” He murmured, pressing a brief kiss to your temple before he stepped away and opened the bread bin to take the lemon bars you’d bought the day before from inside. He took two, and transferred them to a plate, which he set down on the kitchen table. After all, what was tea without a little snack?
You joined him at the kitchen table at the tea brewed, sitting side by side. Outside, snow was falling again, and you could hear the screaming of excited children playing in it, no doubt building snowmen or having snowball fights. You preferred it inside where it was warm, the fire roaring, thank you very much. You removed the tea strainer once it was done brewing, and let Dalton take the first sip.
“This is it.” He said the moment he’d swallowed the warm beverage, going back for a second larger sip. You finally took a sip for yourself and you had to agree - this was it. Your new seasonal blend. The added orange just added a little zest, a twist that wasn’t there before, and it set the new tea further from those you’d sold in the past.
“I think I’ve done quite well with that.” You decided with a smile, setting down your mug to take a bite of your lemon slice. You sat together in silence for a few minutes, something comfortable and pleasant between you, just sipping your tea and eating lemon slices. Finally, you knew you needed to get to work and start making the blend on a larger scale. But before you could, Dalton had pulled you over into his lap just to hold you close, his chin resting on your shoulder again. You could only smile fondly, resting his hands over yours where they rested against your stomach.
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Every day, Dalton dear.”
“But have I told you today?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Well, I do. Very much.” He said, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your cheek. You laughed softly and turned your head to catch him in a real kiss, one hand cupping his cheek while the other remained over both of his.
“This isn’t going to get you out of helping me chop oranges.”
“Fuck.”