Work Text:
Ezra looked down, smiling to himself. He had a lap full of AJ, and he couldn't have been happier. They were half asleep, curled up in one of his baggy sweaters and slouching against him, spilling into his lap and leaning against his chest. He tightened his arms around them and they shifted, stifling a yawn as the credits to the very cheesy movie they'd just watched began to roll across the screen.
"You okay?" He asked softly, and AJ nodded sleepily, gently wriggling away from his arms so they could flop down across his lap, stretching their arms up and their legs out. The sweater rode up just enough to briefly flash one of AJ's thick scars to the air, but Ezra tugged the chunky knitwear down quickly, re-covering his partner's body.
"Tired," AJ mumbled in a rather belated and redundant answer to his question, but Ezra just smiled and leaned over them to hug them loosely, making them giggle under him.
"We gotta stay up till midnight," he pointed out, and AJ carefully pushed Ezra out of the way so they could sit up, wrapping their arms around his shoulders and nuzzling at the crook of his neck, flame red curls tickling his jaw. "You're normally still at work now, how are you tired?" He joked, and AJ groaned, giving him a gentle squeeze.
"I've been off for too long, I'm out of the routine," they pointed out, sounding more and more sleepy the longer they talked. "Besides, you're the one who's been going to sleep every night at nine on the dot," they added reproachfully, and Ezra snorted, but didn't argue.
"How about I make you something nice to drink?" He suggested instead. "Something cold to wake you up a bit."
"Or you could stay here and be my pillow while I fall asleep on you," AJ countered, smiling against Ezra's skin even as he gently began to peel them off him.
"Come on, sweetheart, let me get up. I really wanna see the new year in with you," he insisted softly, and AJ gave in, although they did manage to pull him back long enough for a very quick little kiss.
"You better come back soon," they mumbled, and Ezra rolled his eyes, grabbing his crutches as he stood up.
"Nah, I'll just spend all night in the kitchen," he teased, and AJ growled quietly as he left the room.
"I'll break up with you!" They called out jokingly, and Ezra chuckled to himself quietly, starting to gather up some ingredients. He hadn't made AJ a drink in ages - after leaving his bartending job at the club where he'd met his partner, he hadn't really done much in the way of mixing drinks at all. AJ didn't touch alcohol, and Ezra himself rarely drank anything stronger than coffee, so there was no need. But now seemed like a good time to reminisce.
Smiling to himself, Ezra gathered all the ingredients he needed for the signature mocktail he'd come up with for AJ that long lifetime ago, and began to put the drink together. Luckily, he still had a lot of the equipment, and although the drink wasn't exactly perfect, it was still recognisable as the one he'd always made for his magpie.
Just as he turned and headed back to the living room to rouse AJ, however, Ezra spotted something out of the kitchen window and stopped dead, a bright smile spreading across his face. Outside the window, fluffy white flakes drifted past in the dark night air, and Ezra immediately called for his partner, knowing they liked the snow.
"AJ? It's snowing! Come look!"
Quick footsteps hurried across the apartment, and AJ suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking considerably more awake and very excited as they jogged over to the window and leaned against the counter to look out.
"Ohhh! It's so pretty!" They breathed, then suddenly opened the window, giggling as they reached out and caught a particularly large flake on their hand. It melted almost instantly, but Ezra didn't care. He was too busy watching his partner's expression, the way their eyes lit up with excitement, a bright, joyful smile on their face as they delighted in such a simple, innocent little thing as catching a snowflake.
"Look, Ezra! Another one!" AJ announced with a happy laugh, and Ezra used his crutches to move closer to the love of his life, leaning against the counter as well so he could safely free up one hand to stroke down AJ's back slowly. They just looked so sweet, he couldn't help but touch them - adorably standing there, their eyes wide with childish wonder, his own jumper hanging baggy off their frame and brushing their thighs, their thick, too-big socks bunched up around their ankles. His heart heavy and full up with the sheer intensity of his love for AJ, Ezra moved a little closer to them and kissed their cheek, tucking their red curls back behind their ear a little more neatly.
"The snow is beautiful, sweetheart, but nowhere near as beautiful as my kind, loving, stunning magpie, hmm?" He smiled, and AJ giggled, shutting the window again and turning to lean back against the counter, deep golden eyes narrowing slightly.
"That's cheesy, angel," they reprimanded, but he could see the smile fighting to break through their straight face, so he simply pulled them into a quick kiss, then reached over and grabbed the mocktail he'd just made. AJ seemed to recognise the drink immediately, a bright grin spreading across their face as they took the glass from him carefully.
"My special order!" They exclaimed happily, then frowned and pouted up at their partner jokingly. "No golden umbrella for me?"
Ezra rolled his eyes and picked up his crutches. "You used them all to make jewellery, magpie," he pointed out in a fake-annoyed tone, and AJ simply giggled, following him out of the kitchen and into the living room, where they quickly pulled the curtains back from the window so they could see the snow still drifting past so peacefully, gathering in the road and on the sidewalks.
"Can we sit by the window?" AJ asked in that overly sweet tone they only used when they were sure Ezra would want to say no, while being equally certain that they wouldn't take no for an answer.
"It's colder by the window," he protested feebly, but AJ was already tossing a blanket at him, hurriedly shoving the well-worn and well-loved armchair over to the windowsill, where they set their drink down carefully.
"We'll cuddle, now come sit down," they ordered with one of those pretty little smiles that they knew Ezra couldn't say no to - and he didn't, rolling his eyes as he sat down and wriggled around to get comfortable. Once again, he was graced with the presence of AJ in his lap, his partner curling up sideways, their legs hanging over one of the chair's arms, their side pressed against Ezra's chest so they could watch the snow to their heart's content. The ice in their drink clicked against the side of the glass, and Ezra hugged them tightly, savouring the moment with them.
"Any resolutions, my love?" He asked softly, gazing up at AJ and enjoying the rapt expression on their face as they watched the snow drift past outside. They really did love the snow.
"Mm? Oh, not really," AJ answered distractedly, taking a sip of their drink and flashing him a smile. "This is delicious, angel. I um...I guess my only resolution would be to make sure I get to spend more time with you," they added sweetly, and Ezra chuckled, kissing their cheek lovingly.
"And of course I would love that, my magpie," he murmured, one of his hands slipping under their jumper by accident as he shifted his grip on them. Their skin felt soft and smooth under his touch, and so he kept his hand there, his thumb running back and forth slowly, soothingly. "I don't think I have any either," he went on, stifling a yawn. "Except to make sure you get to see as much snow as possible," he snorted, and AJ glanced at him, relaxing when they saw the teasing smile on his face.
"I think the last time it snowed, I was in hospital," they said quietly, and Ezra's smile faded, his grip on them tightening automatically.
"I'm sorry, magpie, I-"
"No, it's okay. You weren't being nasty, just silly," AJ interrupted gently, soothing Ezra's sudden flash of guilt and leaning down slightly to kiss his forehead. "I do love the snow a lot, but yeah...it kind of reminded me that I'm very glad to still be here, with you. We both got what we deserve, and that's to be here, in this moment. With each other, watching the snow and just being together, y'know?"
"I do," Ezra smiled, sliding one hand into AJ's hair and gently pulling them down, guiding them to rest their forehead on his for a moment or two, both of them just enjoying the closeness. An alarm beeped on Ezra's phone, and he chuckled, rubbing AJ's back lightly as he pulled away from them.
"We should watch the London fireworks, hmm?" He smiled, and AJ nodded, leaning over to grab the remote from the coffee table and turning the TV on. The countdown had already begun, so AJ settled back against Ezra, their body warm and heavy against his.
On the final cheer, Ezra gently reached up, but AJ was already turning, diving in to kiss him as fireworks exploded on the TV, lighting up the room in bright, beautiful colours and making that already special kiss all the more magical. It was soft and chaste and brief, but Ezra loved it.
And then AJ was pulling away, their face lingering close to his, golden eyes soft and brimming over with love. "Thank you for a wonderful year, Ezra. I love you," they murmured, and Ezra could have burst into tears, but instead he clutched his partner closer to him and smiled to himself, glad he could just hold them and love them for as long as he wanted.
"Thank you, my sweetheart. I love you too."