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His tail twitched.He watched as Hart twisted together plants in an intricate circle. It wasn’t the first one he’d woven together today. No. It was the third. The previous two had already been hung on the front door and the wall in the kitchen.“Do you want to try to make one?” Hart asked him.Judah frowned—more than he already did. “No.”Cutsie things like that weren’t for him. He’d never done them, nor did he have the desire to do so. He upturned his nose at the activity.“Not even one?” Hart asked. “For me?”Judah’s tail twitched again.“I don’ want to.”“Just this once?”Who was he to deny such a pouty face? Hart’s cheeks were puffed up as he pursed his lips, eyebrows upturned, and eyes sparkly. Judah took a deep breath. It wasn’t fair, honestly, how easily he could be swayed by that little bun.“Fine,” Judah said, his accent thick.Hart perked immediately perked and scooted impossibly closer to Judah. He dropped the in-progress ring into his lap and grabbed a handful of Holy Holly.“Don’t eat the berries,” Hart warned.“I wasn’ goin’ to.”—he thought about it, though. The little golden berries tied together with twine were rather enticing. They were almost too tempting, but Hart’s hands on his lap distracted him.“I’ll show you how to do it.” He watched as Hart wove the holly into the wreath. When he finished, he offered Judah a couple of berries and twine. “Your turn.”Judah wasn’t so well-versed with activities with his hands that weren’t sexual, but he was willing to attempt for Hart. Shaky at first, Judah began weaving the berries into the wreath. It was by no means as perfect as when Hart was doing it—which was annoying because it should’ve been perfect the first time.Hart giggled beside him. “You’re too tense,” he told him. “Try not to strive for perfection for once. Just let yourself enjoy something.”“I do let myself enjoy things,” Judah replied. “This jus’ ain’t somethin’ I’m used to doin’.”Another giggle. “You’re doing just fine,” he said, “just relax.”Judah took a breath and relaxed his shoulders. When he finished with the berries, Hart presented him with ribbons. Judah eyed him for a moment, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing with it. After a moment, he began carefully wrapping the ribbon, and when he looped back to the beginning, Hart snipped the excess.“Almost done,” he said. “Let’s add some bells.”“Bells?” Judah looked at the wreath in his lap. “If you say so, darlin’.” He wasn’t sure what the big deal was about making these things, but Hart seemed to enjoy it, so he couldn’t just say “no”.Hart hummed softly and kissed his cheek before getting up to grab a bag of bells. Judah couldn’t deny that he was admiring Hart’s cute little sweater, even more so from behind.“Tie some of these on,” Hart told him.Judah nodded. He waited for Hart to return to his seat, missing the warmth of him leaning slightly against him. Once all settled, Judah began awkwardly weaving in the bells to the wreath. Each time he moved the wreath, it jingled and chimed. When he felt there were enough bells, he handed the wreath off to Hart, who cheerfully began inspecting it.“You did great!” He said. He held up the wreath and jingled it. “Where would you like to hang it?”“Hang it?” Judah frowned. “You don’ need to do that. We don’ haveta hang it anywhere.”Hart hit him with his signature pout and doe-eyes. “You don’t want to hang it?”Judah flinched and sighed softly. “Let’s hang it above the door.”Hart perked up again immediately and kicked his foot up with joy. “Will you help me put it up? It’s a bit high.”“Yer gonna haveta stop flirtin’ with me like this,” Judah said. He followed Hart to the door and stood back as the other man lifted his arms above his head in an attempt to hang the wreath. Judah smirked as Hart’s sweater rose to uncover his lower half, but he didn’t get to admire for long as Hart turned to look at him.“If I don’t flirt with you, how am I supposed to get you to do what I ask?” He grinned playfully at Judah. “Help me hang this, and then you can admire how perfectly sized my sweater is.”Judah huffed. “Since yer so convincin’,” he replied.He still couldn’t believe how easily Hart could convince him to do things. Even so, he took the wreath from Hart once more and reached up to hang the very imperfect thing exactly where Hart wanted it.“There,” Judah said. He took a few steps back to look over his work. “It ain’t as pretty as yours.”Hart smiled. “I’ve been practising, and I went to learn from the cherubuns, so I have a head start. You’ll get better at making them, though. I know you will.”Judah crossed his arms. “Just how many of these things are you gonna make me help you make?”“Make you?” Hart giggled. “I can’t make you do anything.”Judah sighed. “No,” he said, “yer right. I can’t really say no to you, and you know it.”“So, you’ll help me make some more wreaths?” Hart moved closer, hands cupped in front of his chest, too cute to ignore.“Yeah,” Judah replied. “I’ll help you make some more wreaths.”Hart cheered and hurried back to the couch. He grabbed a small bushel of branches and plopped down, patting the spot next to him. Judah could only comply. Hart wasn’t going to give up until Judah could make a wreath on his own with no issues and be happy about it—which was a stretch, but he was willing to give it an honest try.If anything, he figured this strange new tradition was something he was going to have to get used to when it came to Cherubmas.
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There was some kind of noise happening in Judah’s house. Between the bird songs and the howling, there was singing. A sound very much not typical inside his home.He followed the sound, peeking into different rooms, and finally, when he found the origin, he watched silently. He observed the scene in front of him.His decorative pillows were on the floor, Whiskey and Tango, his and Hart’s Wulvens were lying and sitting on two of them, howling softly with the song. Meanwhile, Pinot and Toaster, their Avias, were perched on a stack of books that read “Holiday Traditions” and “So You Wanna Celebrate Cherubmas”. Judah looked at the pamphlet Hart held in his hands. “Holiday Hymns”, it read.“Learnin’ carols?” He asked after a moment.Hart squeaked in surprise, dropping his pamphlet and startling the pets. “Judah!”Judah frowned.“I heard people singing carols outside. I thought I would learn some. Do you want to sing with me?”He continued to frown. “I ain’t much for singin’,” he said. “Why’re the pillas on the floor?”Hart shrank into himself a bit. “I thought they would be more comfortable. Since they’re not allowed on the furniture,” he replied. “Are the pillows considered furniture?”Judah took a deep breath and sighed. “No,” he admitted, “they ain’t furniture. ‘n I suppose they can use ‘em for now. Tango and Whiskey do look mighty comfy.”—maybe he should buy them beds of their own so they’d stop trying to get into his.“So,” Hart started, “is it okay if I keep singing?”“Is it okay?” Judah furrowed his brows. “Of course, it’s okay. Sing to ya heart's content.”“But you’re not going to sing with me?”Judah purposefully turned his attention to the Avias to avoid looking at Hart’s doe-eyed pout. They looked back at him, and Toaster chirped. “I told ya, I ain’t the singin’ type.”“Can you sing?” Hart questioned.His question took Judah off guard, and his attention snapped back to Hart. “I’cn sing,” he blurted. “I just don’ like doin’ it very much.”Hart’s pout caught him. “Sing with me, please?”Damn Hart and his damn pout. Damn this bun’s cuteness and his own inability to say no. Judah balled his fists and fought back a stomp, tapping his toes instead as his tail whipped back and forth behind him.“Judah,” Hart practically whined.“Fine,” Judah cracked. “I’ll sing with ya. Jus’ a couple o’ songs, though.” He couldn’t believe he’d fallen so quickly. Damn his weakness towards Hart. He wished he could be legitimately angry about it, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t angry or upset. He was more annoyed at himself for being so easily swayed by someone so cute.Defeatedly, Judah took a seat next to Hart on the floor, sitting on one of his decorative pillows. He looked over the song Hart had opened. It was simple and easy to read—the notes weren’t difficult.Hart began singing before he did, but he caught up quickly. Judah’s accent was thick as he sang, and Hart giggled when he fumbled with one of the words because he pronounced it wrong. Toaster and Pinot tweeted and chirped with them, and Whiskey and Tango barked and howled. It was as though they were their own little choir, and Judah could only hope no one from his house wandered over and sneaked a peek.When one song was over, they began another, and though Judah would never speak it aloud, he was actually having a good time. He wouldn’t call it fun, not really, but he was enjoying it. Again, not that he would admit it.They started a third song, and Hart moved closer, leaning against Judah’s shoulder. Judah raised an eyebrow but continued to sing, and once they were done, he looked down to see Hart beaming up at him. “Are you gettin’ tired?” Judah asked him.Hart shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I just like the sound of your voice. You sing really well. Why don’t you like doing it?”Judah frowned. “Jus’ don’,” he said. “Jus’ ‘cause I’m good at it, don’ mean I haveta like doin’ it.”It was Hart’s turn to frown—not a good look, that was certain. “But why?”The man shrugged. “Ya doin’ have to like everythin’ ya do, even if yer good at it.” He wasn’t sure Hart would understand, but it was worth a try. “If you want me ta sing with ya, I will, ‘cause I enjoy spendin’ time with you.”Hart’s cheeks flushed red. “Do you… want to sing another song?”“We have a whole choir,” Judah said, gesturing to the pets, “’n they seem to wanna keep singin’ too.”Still blushing, Hart nodded. “Let’s sing another one, then.”Judah nodded, and they began their next song.Truth be told, Judah wasn’t one for festivities. He enjoyed hosting parties, but they were never for anything other than obtaining clientele. Thanks to Hart, they had wreaths and decorations. Now, they had songs. As active as the house typically was, it felt cosier and more like a home again instead of simply business. It was nice. Even if that meant that Judah would have to participate in activities he usually wouldn’t, it was just something he would have to get used to. It was only a matter of time before Hart dragged him into doing something else Cherubmas. All he could do now was let him. It wasn’t all bad, after all.
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Judah was pacing in his office. Back and forth, back and forth, wracking his brain for some kind of idea of what to do. Cherubuns had ways of doing things, and from the book Hart had brought home, Judah felt like he wasn’t doing enough. He could buy all the gifts he wanted for people—his employees—and Hart. Were his employees his friends? He wasn’t sure he’d call them that.Was Hart his friend, or was he something else? He paused his pacing and stood there, staring at nothing as he thought about it. Hart came to him with nothing and Judah had given him everything. A place to stay, clothes, food, jewellery—the man spoiled him. He spent more carats on Hart than he did most everyone and everything else. Could you call that simply a friend?He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there when his feet started moving on their own. The book said something about spending time with their closest loved ones and expressing their gratitude for them. Judah spent time with them. He showed them his gratitude, but was that what he was doing with Hart?Frankly, he wasn’t sure what he was doing; all he knew was that his feet were taking him somewhere. That somewhere turned out to be a rather nice bakery with various cakes and tarts in the display window.“Hello!” A chipper voice came from the back. “I’ll be with you in a moment!”Judah mumbled a quiet “Take yer time” and began perusing. He knew Hart loved sweets, so he was going to get some for him. He wasn’t paying attention to how much time he was wandering around the bakery, and he jumped a bit when the voice spoke again, much closer.“Are you looking for anything in particular?” A tan-skinned man spoke. His hair was all over the place.Judah looked around for a quick moment longer. “A tart, I think,” he said, “or maybe a cake?” He wasn’t sure.“May I suggest a cheesecake tart? Best of both worlds. Creamy, rich, buttery crisp crust. Is that something that sounds good?”Judah simply nodded. “I think so, yeah.”The man beamed. “Wonderful! Fruit preference? Apples, peaches? Berries of some kind?”Judah closed his eyes and tried to remember Hart’s favourite fruit, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he didn’t really know Hart—and it bothered him. “Can ya do all of ‘em?”“All of the fruit?” There was a brief pause. “Easy! It’ll take me about an hour to make it, though. Is that okay?”“’Course,” Judah replied. “I’ll come back in an hour.”“When you come back, if no one’s up front, just yell for Honey.”Judah nodded and made his way down the sidewalk. He stopped a block down. It took less than a second for him to whirl around and hurry back to the house. “Hart!” He called when he went inside and up the stairs. He could feel eyes on him, but no one said a word.Hart peeked out from one of the rooms, and a smile grew on his face immediately. “Yes, Judah?”“Are you dressed?” He asked as he reached him.“Yeah,” Hart replied. He looked down at his clothes as if to confirm.Judah swallowed. Hart was wearing one of the many outfits he’d purchased for him. An oversized sweater and some tights that stopped just above his knees. “Would you like to go shoppin’ with me?”Hart perked up. “What are we buying?”“Anythin’ you like,” Judah replied.“Anything?” Hart seemed confused but smiled nonetheless. “Let’s go!”Judah nodded and ignored the eyes on him again as he led Hart down the stairs and outside. It wasn’t but a few blocks down when Judah awkwardly took Hart’s hand in his, cursing the feeling in his chest when Hart beamed back at him and playfully bumped into him. Emphasise the importance of loved ones. That’s what the book said, but he wasn’t sure how to do that when the only thing he was good at was buying things.“Judah,” Hart said after a moment, “is something wrong?”“No,” Judah replied, probably too quickly, “nothin’s wrong. I just…” he frowned at his own faults. “I realised that I dunno what you like.”Hart seemed shocked at his words. “But you get me things I like already.”Judah stopped and looked down at him. “I do?”Hart nodded. “I love the sweaters and all the books. The other clothes you get me are nice too. You got them for me, not knowing I liked them?”“I thought…” Judah paused. “I thought you looked nice in ‘em.” Nice wasn’t the word he wanted to use, but he didn’t dare say cute.Hart narrowed his eyes and puffed his cheeks. “You’re not that observant, are you?”Judah sighed and looked away awkwardly. He wasn’t feeling very prideful at the moment. He should’ve been proud that he was getting Hart the things he liked instinctively, but he was struggling. “Suppose not,” he admitted, “I cain’t seem to think right when yer around.”Hart covered his mouth with his hand in surprise. “Do you like me?”Judah’s eyes grew wide, and he wasted no time dragging Hart off into some random alley.“Judah,” Hart said, “I read it in a book, you know. When someone gets really shy and awkward around someone else, that usually means they like them. That’s what you do. I’ve noticed. You keep buying me things, too.”“I ain’t shy,” Judah said, trying to keep his dignity.“You like me,” Hart replied a matter of factly. Before Judah could respond, Hart continued, “I like you too,” he said. “I like it when you buy me things and when you spend time with me. Also, when we—” Judah covered Hart’s mouth with his hand.“Now, we ain’t gotta go mentionin’ that out loud,” he said. He could feel his cheeks reddening. He wasn’t about to admit to anything, but he wasn’t going to deny it either.Hart smiled up at him. “Are you still going to take me shopping?”Bless Hart for reading him so well. “Yeah,” he said, “let’s go shoppin’.”They left the alley and made their way to various shops. Clothes first, then the bookshop. Judah was enjoying his time with Hart, and Hart seemed to be having a wonderful time—their hands were never parted for long. Was Judah going to mention this to anyone? No. Not likely. Hart may, but that’s the risk he was willing to take.It was more than an hour before the two made their way back around and to the bakery. Hart looked at Judah curiously when they went inside.“Honey?” Judah called when they reached the counter.“Coming!”Hart was looking at the various sweets when the pâtissier, Honey, made his way out holding a box.“It’s all done,” Honey beamed.Judah nodded and didn’t hesitate to pay. Hart, on the other hand, stared at the box curiously. It wasn’t until they were nearly home that he spoke again.“Judah,” he said, “I hope this doesn’t upset you, but… I’m not a big fan of sweets.”“You don’ like sweets?” Judah questioned, looking down at the sweet he’d just paid for. Now that he thought about it, each time he brought Hart sweets, he only ate a few bites before stopping. “Well,” he said with a quiet chuckle, “at least I know someone who will enjoy it.”“You’re not upset, are you?” Hart asked when they were on their way home, box in hand.Judah shook his head. “It’s like you said,” he looked over at Hart, “I ain’t very observant when it comes to you.”Hart smiled softly. “So,” he said, “is this about the bookmarked page in the guide to celebrate Cherubmas?”Judah sucked in a hiss. “Yeah,” he admitted, “somethin’ about Emphasising the importance of loved ones and showing appreciation for friends and partners.”“Partners?” Hart eyed him. “Is that what I am?”Judah flinched. “Partner, lover… beloved… friend, even, whatever the title is. Yer important to me.” He said it out loud, and he wasn’t embarrassed about it. Quite the opposite, actually. He was rather pleased to let Hart know. Perhaps then he would understand that Judah didn’t want him with anyone else. “So,” Judah said, “do ya think I did all right with this whole… togetherness thing?”Hart hummed softly. “I think you could use some more practice. Good thing I’m here, or it’ll never get done.”“Good thing,” Judah agreed with a soft sigh. He really was weak to Hart.