Work Text
“You’re making a mess,” James observes gleefully.Alistair pushes a lock of his usually tamed hair back out of his face and glares at him, “Sure up and pass me the tape.”James nudges it closer with his foot, and Alistair snatches it up. “There’s more tape on that present than wrapping paper.”His boyfriend rears up, or as much as he can do, considering he’s kneeling on their living room carpet, glaring daggers at James over the coffee table, where the poor, mangled present in question sits, shuddering in the mass of tape and paper. Ends are still sticking out. “I’d like to see you do better,” Alistair snaps.“Darling, I’m not convinced a toddler couldn’t do better. Honestly, I would have thought a secret agent would be a bit better at wrapping presents.”“Since when does espionage have anything to do with this?”James raises his eyebrows, “You can line up at shot a hundred meters away and pick off a single individual in a crowd. Your precision work is excellent.”Alistair throws the roll of tape at him in frustration, “Yes, and that’s all well and good when we’re talking about work. This is…different.”“Oh, darling, you know I’m just teasing you,” James gets down on the carpet, reaching across the table to take his hands. He draws them to his lips, kissing the knuckles one at a time. “Here, why don’t you let me do it.”Alistair looks like he’s considering protesting, but then he sits back with a sigh. “Have at it.”James releases his hands and taps his lip thoughtfully, examining the present. “No good,” he says. “We’ll have to start all over. Nurse, prep the patient, would you?”“Have I told you you’re ridiculous?” Alistair asks as he unravels the frankly alarming amount of wrapping.“Not today,” James tells him. “No, wait, you did. This morning, over breakfast.”“And I’ll say it again,” Alistair tells him. “You’re absolutely ridiculous.” He chucks the bundle of paper and tape at James, but he’s smiling again.James ducks, and sweeps into a little bow, “I aim to please, darling.” And with a series of neat creases, he wraps the present and tucks up the ends. “Voila.”“Show off.”