Title: Five Gold Rings 1/5
Author: Magpie and Wolfling
Email: magpie@moracle.co.uk and wolfling@sympatico.ca
Show: Buffy
Rating: NC-17
Category: angst, hurt/comfort
Warnings: spoilers up to the end of Chosen
Pairings: Giles/Ethan
Series: Of Old Mystics, takes place between chapters 17 and 18 of Charades
Summary: On the fifthe day of Christmas...
Author Notes: Many thanks to Mad Poetess and Wesleysgirl for betaing :) This was
written for Kindkit during the Secret Slasha writing challenge in December and
takes place during Charades, the fourth story in the Of Old Mystics series; that
and previous stories in the series can be found at
http://www.myarseisnotpansy.co.uk/piedm/mystics.html.
Saturday, 20th December
Well, that had been disappointing.
Back when Ethan had been in the business of creating happy -- or not so happy -- mayhem, he would have been ashamed at such lacklustre trickery. There was so much thrilling potential for chaos in a huge toyshop such as Hamleys that a spell to constantly move the stock around the shelves seemed embarrassing in its unadventurousness.
He caught up with Rupert, who had just finished talking to the manager, and said dryly, "Someone needs to take these young wannabes in hand and teach them that the first rule of Chaos is -- never be boring."
"That was never a problem of yours," Rupert admitted with a wry smile. "But professional pride aside, I would prefer that they didn't get too... creative."
Ethan knew better than to argue, although he didn't fully agree. There was no challenge in resolving such a simplistic puzzle as this one had been. "Well, while we're here, shall we take a look around? There are only five shopping days left before Christmas, after all."
"You've certainly been getting into the spirit of the holiday," Rupert observed, as they started wandering down one of the aisles at random.
He felt a moment's uncertainty. "Am I going too far? It's just..." It was just that Ethan hadn't had anything approaching a 'proper' Christmas since his days with Ripper in London, and even then, it had hardly been traditional, as tradition was what they'd been so busy flouting. 'Proper family Christmases' Ethan knew only second-hand through watching dodgy sitcoms and over-sentimental films.
It wasn't exactly that he felt the lack, he told himself, more that he wanted to make sure Megan found out what it was like to have a loving and fun Yuletide for the first time.
"It's fine," Rupert was quick to reassure him with a smile and a brief brush of his hand against Ethan's arm. "Although it's a bit surprising; I don't think in the old days that I'd ever have predicted your keenness for all the bells and whistles of the season."
"I want to make it nice for Megan and Kat," Ethan insisted.
"And for us?" Rupert asked, as his smile grew knowing. Ethan just looked at his husband, not wanting to admit out loud that this *was* important to him. Rupert glanced around them, then back to Ethan. "So this looks like the type of place where we can pick up a few bells and perhaps some whistles as well."
"There has to be something here we can get for the young at heart amongst our little clique." Ethan grinned, carefully not saying who they might be.
"Like a Scalectrix racing set?" Rupert asked with an air of innocence.
Ethan looked askance at Rupert. "I've noticed you there with me every time I play with that, you know."
"It's a lot safer than doing it in a mini."
"Hmm." Ethan considered that. "That spell would probably work on my little metal cars. You know, *that* spell."
Rupert gave him a look. "Much as I'm sure Gwydion would enjoy chasing tiny flying cars about the living room..."
Ethan chuckled, as he loved the idea, but, "Well, I couldn't cast it anymore, formal spells no longer being my oeuvre. So unless I can persuade you that we just have to have such things..."
"I don't think even your powers of persuasion are up to that particular task. Why don't we look for something a bit less fraught with temptation like..." Rupert looked around, then laughing, picked up a cuddly fox from a nearby shelf... "This."
Ethan crimped his lips, trying very hard not to smile, and just stared at his husband.
Looking as whimsical as Ethan had ever seen him, Rupert held out the fox to him. "Merry Christmas?"
He started to hold his hand out for the toy, the cuteness of which he was in no way admitting even to himself, when his gaze flickered over something on the shelf beside Rupert. He made a detour to pick it up. "Happy Christmas to you too, dearheart." He grinned as he exchanged a fluffy little badger for his fox.
Rupert chuckled as he looked down at the toy in his hand. "There are worse things to get for first gifts between us."
"They can cuddle up somewhere warm together and have dodgy cross-species liaisons." Ethan pressed a quick kiss upon Giles' cheek, ignoring the shoppers milling around them.
"Or watch us have dodgy same-species liaisons," Rupert suggested, as they began heading back down the aisle towards the cash desk. "If we keep them in our room."
"They can keep the bed warm while we're not there." Ethan heard himself suddenly and... didn't wince. He wasn't sure why not. However, "No one must ever know about this."
"It does take some of the mystique away from the Head of the Council and his lover, the reformed Chaos mage, doesn't it?"
"If anyone asks? They're Megan's."