A Perfect Christmas by Katma

Darren slowly awoke to the feeling of small kisses being peppered tenderly on his cheeks and forehead. The singer's eyes fluttered open and he was greeted by the bright green gaze of his best friend and lover.
"Morning, love," Daniel greeted him softly.
"Good morning," Darren replied with a warm smile at the man lying halfway across his chest. Daniel pressed a light kiss on Darren's shoulder then looked back up with an answering smile.
"To what do I owe this pleasant but early awakening?" Darren questioned. Daniel's smile widened and he bounced upwards. In one smooth move, Daniel straddled Darren and braced his hands on either side of Darren's head. He leaned down until their noses were almost touching.
"It's Christmas, Dazza! How could you forget that?" Daniel asked, bouncing the bed to punctuate each word. Darren laughed. His hands moved, sliding up Daniel's bare back to tangle in the tousled blonde hair at the nape of the musician's neck.
"I didn't forget, don't worry. How could I have? It took me almost all this month to find your present!"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "It only took me a few days to find yours," he answered smugly.
"Hmph, well... it had better be a good one, then," Darren mock-threatened.
"And what are you going to do if it isn't?" Daniel's voice was a low growl.
"Mmm, let's hope you don't have to find out."
Daniel opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by Darren's sudden, sharp tug on his hair, bringing his lips down to meet the singer's. The two shared a soft and gentle kiss. When they broke apart, Darren smiled up at Daniel.
"Happy Christmas, Jonesy," he whispered. "I love you."
"Happy Christmas, Daz. I love you, too." Daniel smiled brilliantly at his lover, then bounced the bed one more time.
"Now come on," Dan ordered. "Let's go open presents!"
Darren blinked up at Daniel in surprise. "You're happy today. What has gotten into you?"
"Chocolate," Daniel said succinctly with a smirk. Darren groaned.
"How big a dent did you make in your stash?"
"Umm," Daniel rolled off Darren and looked at the ceiling. "Pretty big."
"Danny!" Darren laughingly chastised.
Daniel turned on his side and cuddled up to Darren.
"But, Darren, I was hungry! And you were still asleep. I didn't want to wake you by making breakfast," Daniel mumbled into Darren's shoulder.
"Well, I'm up now. Are you still hungry?"
"A little."
"Then let's go downstairs and I'll make breakfast. I'm starving."
"Sounds good."
Daniel got up and stretched. Then he walked around to Darren's side of the bed. He grabbed Darren's hands and pulled him up out of the bed. Daniel wrapped his arms around the singer's waist and pulled him close for another soft and tender kiss.
"Now go," he said, pulling away and giving Darren a soft shove in the direction of the bathroom. "And hurry!"
"Yes, sir," Darren laughed. He entered the bathroom, still grinning at the antics of his lover. It seemed that the spirit of Christmas, in the guise of a box of Ghiardelli chocolates, had visited Danny. Not that I'm complaining, Darren thought as he brushed his teeth, but it is amusing. He could hear Daniel making noise downstairs, and he laughed. He had better get down there soon or Daniel would come up here and get him. Darren carefully rinsed off his toothbrush and placed it back in the holder, then hurried down the stairs. He winced when his bare feet touched the cold tile of the kitchen.
"Geez," he yelped. "It's cold down here!"
Daniel nodded. "I turned up the heat. And I started the coffee, too."
"Thanks. Eggs and bacon for breakfast?" Darren asked as he reached into the fridge.
"I don't want you to go to too much trouble," Dan responded. "'Specially as I had something to eat before. I'll just have what you're having."
"I'm having oatmeal," Darren warned. Dan wrinkled his nose at him.
"For Christmas breakfast?"
"I happen to like oatmeal!"
Dan shook his head in affectionate exasperation. "You're weird," he said. "I'll have the bacon and eggs, then."
"Thought so," Darren laughed. He had already taken the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator. Pulling out a skillet, he cracked several eggs over it. Soon the smell of cooking food filled the air. Daniel set the table and poured the coffee as Darren watched the food. It wasn't long before Darren set Daniel's plate of food in front of him and sat down with his bowl of oatmeal. Daniel ate quickly, almost gulping his food, then sat and stared at Darren, waiting for him to finish his.
"Eager, much?" Darren questioned, smiling at his lover.
"C'mon, Dare! Hurry up and let's go open presents," Daniel whined.
"But I'm not done yet," the singer told him innocently. He picked up his spoon and slowly raised it to his mouth, an act which only added to Daniel's frustration. Darren placed the spoon in his mouth and "mmm"-ed around it, closing his eyes in exaggerated appreciation of the taste. The singer then pulled the spoon out from his lips slowly and proceeded to lick it thoroughly. Daniel watched this with a combination of amusement and slight arousal, but he refused to let it distract him.
"Uh-uh," he stated firmly. "It isn't going to work. It's Christmas and I want to see that present it took you so long to find."
Darren pouted slightly but obediently hurried to finish the rest of the oatmeal. As soon as he was done Daniel bounced to his feet and dragged Darren out of his chair and into the living room. The younger man promptly dropped to the floor and stared expectantly at Darren. Darren laughed, shaking his head, and reached under the tree for a small something.
"Here you go," Darren said, dropping a card in Daniel's lap. Daniel picked it up and blinked at it. Then he raised an eyebrow at Darren.
"You spent all month looking for a card?"
Darren shot him an extremely exasperated look. "Of course not. By the time I'd finally figured out what to get you, it was too late to get it here by Christmas. The card is just to show you what you will get soon."
"Ahh," Daniel said, his interest piqued. He ripped the envelope open and looked inside the card. A piece of paper fluttered onto Daniel's lap. He picked it up and gasped as he saw a Steinway baby grand piano. "Happy Christmas, Jonesy!" was written across the top of the paper in Darren's distinctive scrawl. The guitarist looked up at the man who was watching him anxiously.
"Daz... you bought me a piano?"
"Yeah," the older man answered, twisting his fingers nervously. "For here. So that you have something to play while you're here, 'cause heaven knows I don't have anything like that. If you don't like it I can get you something else..."
"Shh," Daniel interrupted, placing a finger on the other man's lips. He was touched, both by the gesture and what the gesture showed about Darren's attitude toward their relationship. "I love it, Daz. Thank you." He leaned in and kissed the singer lightly.
"I'm going to get yours," Daniel told him, suddenly feeling very shy. "I couldn't think of a way to wrap it that wouldn't be completely obvious, so you're going to have to close your eyes."
"Ok," Darren responded, promptly shutting his eyes. Daniel laughed, then headed upstairs. He pulled his gift from under the guest bedroom's bed and stared at it for a moment. He really hoped Darren would like it. Then he quickly took it out of the casing and hurried back downstairs. Daniel stopped just before the entrance to the living room.
"Are your eyes still closed?" he called out to Darren.
"Uh-huh," came the response.
"Good. Now I want you to put your hands, palm up, on your knees."
"Ok," Darren obeyed.
Daniel walked into the room and placed his gift on Darren's open palms. "You can open your eyes now."
Darren's eyes flew open and his gaze eagerly focused on his lap. His jaw dropped as he saw a Fender Stratocaster there, one that looked suspiciously like Daniel's favorite. Darren looked up at the man still crouching in front of him, returned his attention to the guitar on his lap, then focused on Daniel again.
"Danny, is this..."
The younger man nodded, feeling even shyer than he had before. "I thought you'd be able to learn faster on the best."
Darren blinked up at him, then reverently picked up the guitar. He stared at it for a few moments. Then the singer gently placed the guitar on the couch, out of harm's way, and launched himself at Daniel. The move overbalanced the unsuspecting man, and they both tumbled backwards. Daniel soon found himself on the receiving end of the treatment he'd lavished on Darren earlier this morning.
"I take it you liked it, then?" the younger man asked, amused.
"Yes," Darren murmured between kisses. "I love it. Thank you so much, Jonesy."
The singer kissed Daniel sweetly, then cuddled up on his chest, tucking his head underneath the guitarist's chin. Daniel smiled and began rubbing Darren's back in small, soothing circles. The two lay comfortably like that until the phone rang.
"Ignore it," Daniel said softly. Darren sighed regretfully.
"Much as I would love to, it's probably Mum. And as Christmas is a time for families, I should talk to her."
Darren pressed a soft kiss to Daniel's cheek, then pushed up and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Hi, Mum," he said, raising his eyebrows at Daniel. Daniel laughed softly. Then he got up and walked to the kitchen. He picked up the plates and silverware from where they'd been abandoned in favor of the presents and walked to the sink. As he ran the water, he absent-mindedly listened to Darren's animated conversation with his mother. A small smile crossed his face. They were heading back to Australia next week to spend at least some of the holiday season with their families, but the two had decided that this, their first Christmas together, should be spent in the relative privacy of Darren's San Francisco home. Daniel thought it was a good decision. As Daniel cleaned the dishes, his attention wandered to the window. He looked outside, then did a double take. Was that what he thought that was?
Daniel pushed the blinds aside and looked closer. It was. It was snowing! And not just flurries, either, but real flakes. Daniel wanted to get a better look. He left the dishes in the sink and walked past Darren, who was wrapping up his conversation with his mother. Darren shot him a curious look, which Daniel didn't notice. He opened the front door, leaving the storm door shut and just stared outside. The snow was not accumulating; it had been too warm in San Francisco the past few days for the snow to stick, but it was falling thickly and steadily, and that was enough.
"Jonesy? What are you doing?" Darren asked, coming up behind him.
"Look, Daz, it's snowing!" Daniel said, a bit of amazement tingeing his words.
Darren walked up to stand next to him, and together the two stood at the door and watched the thick, fluffy flakes fall silently on a still-quiet world. Daniel wrapped his arms around Darren's waist and rested his chin on the shorter man's head. The singer, for his part, placed his hands atop the ones clasping his waist and squeezed lightly. A comfortable silence reigned until Daniel moved enough to place a chaste kiss on Darren's neck.
"Snow for Christmas," he whispered. "Perfect."
"Yeah," Darren smiled. "Perfect."
He turned in Daniel's arms and wrapped his own around the guitarist's neck. Looking seriously into Daniel's green eyes, he began.
"I know this sounds cheesy, but I couldn't think of any other way to put this. Having you here, with me, after everything that happened between us... You've made me so happy, Danny. You being here is what has made this Christmas so special. I have everything I've ever wanted this Christmas."
Daniel's face lit up at the singer's admission, and he offered him one of his blindingly brilliant smiles.
"I love you, too, Dazza," he murmured as he pulled Darren in for a kiss. "Happy Christmas."