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[Backdated to Halloween 2021]

iDarkness had long descended, the bonfire was going strong, campers were jovial with their food, drinks, and ghost stories, and a certain 'camp mom' was closing the last of the styrofoam dollar store to-go boxes filled with leftovers so that when people decided to turn in they could easily grab one and crawl back to their home with an ease that their post-partying state would have no doubt hindered.

Wyatt stood there for a moment after setting the box aside, observing the forms that were little more than silhouettes against the brilliant flames. There was the hint of a contented smile on his otherwise reserved face. This, all this....was so nice. It wasn't his first Halloween here, but it did mark the general when-abouts of his first year of partnership with Lukas.

A year which had been full of firsts they'd shared. But speaking of the other man......

"Hmmm," Wyatt leaned back into that gentle embrace and leaned his cheek against Lukas' head resting on his shoulder, giving the slightest of nuzzles, "Just reminiscing about this past year."

He then turned around and reached behind him to hoist himself up to sit on the table. Wyatt then draped his arms over Lukas' shoulder, one hand lightly petting at that lovely hair, and the other lightly brushing over his cheek in a familiarly gentle fashion Wyatt seemed prone to do.

"I've got you to thank for the best year of my life," he said with warmth and the light of the bonfire reflecting in his eyes as he smiled softly up at him.

Soon everyone at the camp would be getting ready for the holidays again - some leaving to spend them with family elsewhere, others staying behind. Last year Wyatt had made sure to cook a little something for everyone who had stayed for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and this year he was sure to do the same. It was simple, quiet, wholesome, and something Wyatt was happy to make tradition for many many years to come. Although, unbeknownst to him their coming Christmas would be a little different than the last.

"A repeat of last Christmas sounds fine to me. Although - maybe we can improve on it~" Wyatt hadn't been putting out for his sweet, sweet partner yet bacl then. Now however.... He knew where he was hanging the mistletoe for sure.

Lewd ideas aside, a good Christmas Eve meal with lazy finger foods and sweets the next day sounded good. Maybe he'd at least make a nice breakfast, but then again.... He already made sure Lukas got a good brunch every day anyway. He didn't rise and shine as early as the other man and instead elected to sleep in a little longer while Lukas (and others) took care of the morning things around camp. But later Wyatt would wake up and make breakfast in time for Lukas to pop in for a food break.

Over the year Wyatt had served a great variety of breakfast foods, from sweet to savory, bountiful to grab-and-go. Food was how Wyatt seemed to show his love, and that seemed to suit everyone well enough. Lukas would probably not mind a repeat of his Valentines meal, either - a good, expensive, cut of steak, cooked to perfection with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a large baked potato with all the fixings, and homemade rolls. Salad had been offered, but not really necessary as far as Wyatt was concerned. Wyatt would be more than happy to cook whatever he wanted, especially since it meant not having to endure an overcrowded restaurant filled with other people's saccharine romance all around.

Their own was enough.

"And on new years we can sit out on the outlook, bundled up in a blanket, watching the fireworks DC will do. I should be home by then, at least."

learning to work around each other's schedule hadn't been too big a problem. They'd already been doing so. Sometimes however it was a bit of a give-and-take when it came to the more cosmological job they had, and Wyatt was a little frustrated that he hadn't been able to achieve one thing in particular;

"But," he started, lightly poking a finger to Lukas' nose, "in the coming year I will make sure you're no longer just a Page, Mocona," He said, using the man's powered name in a light but almost scolding tone, before his words became more warm and teasing again, "After all, then we'll be able to visit there more. Get it fixed up. Restored. Your place is the better vacation destination, after all."

And Wyatt would worry less. He hoped Mocona would at least have some useful magic when it came to fights or at least protecting himself. he wasn't exactly an expert on what kind of magic Chronos knights tended to get. Surely Border Control got something badass, right?

As far as powered shenanigans had gone though, Hawara had done a lot at his own wonder, and was seeing things improve more and more. At felt pretty rewarding. Even those lockbox trials were getting less horrifying. Maybe because he was having less trauma to work through. But he had finally unlocked everything his past self had sealed away, and his uniform looked much less like that of a Page now, and more like the Knight he was supposed to be. He even had shoes. Finally. Just in time for the coming winter.

"Hn, it's not really about vacations. It's about making sure you're safe," Wyatt admitted as he let the arms that had been draped over Lukas' shoulders drop down to his waist, but not without running hands casually over chest and stomach, then thumbs hooking themselves in the belt loops of Lukas' pants.

"I've got enough gray hair without worrying about your safety adding to it," he teased.

He'd done more than enough worrying about loved one's out on the field in his time. Honestly, that wasn't likely going to be stopping any time soon, even when Mocona achieved full knighthood. Wyatt lamented that it was necessary to put one's self in danger in order to achieve greater power, and thus more access to their wonder. It wasn't something he'd had to face, having been a general already when he'd purified, but the second-hand impatience he felt was making up for it.

"I'll have to take you to my place again sometime soon - show you how things are going. I think I saw a few bugs last time. Bugs. I know it's a bit silly to remark about but," he shrugged, biting his lip to keep the expression of excitement from his face, and stop himself from gushing excitably. And he did often get exited when he talked about it, in spite of himself.

For a place that had been so dead and in ruins when he'd first visited it, seeing how it was now, and yes, even to find bugs, was remarkable. Through whatever magic that flowed there, and his own efforts, his 'home away from home' was actually considerably more livable. The violent winds that had rushed through the large open windows of the building had calmed, and what had once been an empty pit had water. Cold water. Definitely not suitable for swimming, which was an small tale he'd told before as a precautionary warning when he'd first taken Mocona there.

Wyatt had long since re-upholstered the chaise 'throne' that sat in the middle of the front room, and replaced that tattered window treatments. Cracked and crumbled structures were swept up and left to magic to repair, as stone masonry was not in his resume. He was, however, reading up on ways he could make use of the kitchen that has, for the most part, put back in to order. Stone ovens and open fire cooking seemed archaic, and not as simple to use as his modern stove or oven. He also had some experiments to perform with what he gathered was a cold-storage area; a large stone box inlaid into the floor, slightly moist, but cool. He could only guess this was because it was somewhat submerged in the frigid pool of water that the entirety of his wonder was built on top of. He planned to take some bags of ice and see how long they kept.

If things went well, one day he would treat Lukas to a real out-of-this-world dining experience. Because again - love was cooking for others. It came so much easier than words for him.

He'd not actually said those simple little words to him. He certainly felt them, he couldn't deny that, even to himself. Lukas was so good to him, made him so happy, was so patient with him... Wyatt had spent so much in the past giving, that the idea of being treated or receiving anything was just a foreign concept that never crossed his mind.

Valentines - their first Valentines - had been a glowing example of Wyatt's anxious need to plan and execute everything himself, never expecting Lukas to lift a finger in planning what they would do on that cheesy commercialized day of romance. Wyatt, however, had planned it out meticulously, right down to making the decision that that night would be the one where he finally gave himself physically, completely, entirely and explicitly to Lukas. But not before planning an entire dinner and dessert, and and entire evening of romance leading up to it, because for Wyatt, the entire evening was about Lukas. Wyatt had to learn that he also deserved nice things. And Lukas was so patient with him, teaching him that every day. Often in little ways that he was sure Lukas didn't even realize.

The thought made his heart swell and that cheesy warm feeling rush over him. Wyatt leaned forwards and buried his face in Lukas' chest, nuzzling in there, and wrapping his arms around him. Whatever words Lukas happened to be saying in reply to any of his prior statements might have almost drowned out the soft, almost inaudible sigh that escaped Wyatt without his permission or perception;

"I love you~"

Lukas' reply made Wyatt realize just what he had let slip out, and color tinged his cheeks a bit, but with his face buried in to the other man's chest, he was able to hide it for the moment.

"Hmm," he mumbled from Lukas' chest, before finally looking up at him, "You're already pretty great. I didn't know how I could ever trust anyone again after my ex's fling, but not a single atom of doubt has ever entered my mind with you, ever. The comfort and, hmmm... feeling of safety and dependability you give is a major plus in the 'are we gonna keep him' pros list," Wyatt finished what was a pretty serious and honest admission with a bit of a joke.

His hands might have then wondered to playfully grab Lukas' rear.

"And there's plenty in the pros list."

Watt chuckled, even if the very concept of getting married again prickled at something jaded and bitter in his mind, After all - he'd seen first hand what some little peace of paper meant in the grand scheme of things. But likewise, he could reason that it also meant as much as the person who signed it allowed it to. And he was sure for someone like Lukas something like that meant a whole lot more than....

"To be fair, I didn't think I was really good for anyone to get with anyway. I knew my faults and didn't want anyone to get hurt because of them. It was easier to keep a space between myself and others. I really wasn't looking to get with anyone, let alone you, but I'm glad I did. Because I really needed someone like you, even though I would have been in denial about it to the end without that push."

That push that the fear of losing someone could bring.

It was no coincidence that Wyatt had become a master of joking around and teasing - he knew his tone could be biting and critical and mean, sarcastic...terse..impatient... He could be a lot of not nice things. He found that if he turned it in to humor, it went over better. More gentle. It was as much a disarming mechanism as it was an attempt at self-improvement. Largely for Lukas' sake, because honestly he cared a little less if others thought he was rude. But he didn't want to hurt Lukas. Never had.

"I still think you have terminal brain damage for choosing me. That's okay though - I think I can deal with that."

With that, Wyatt looked up at Lukas with that cheeky smile.

"You declared me an an enemy. I was content to keep doing my thing," he corrected teasingly.

It wasn't like back then or even now he'd just come out with 'yeah well, the cripple needs to not have so far to walk to take a s**t.' Nah, maybe he had some fun with the antagonism. A little resistance made things interesting. Sure, the drama at the time wasn't exactly fun but they learned to work together. Then they built comradery, becoming a team that truly carried and cared for this campground and park and it's residence. Without meaning to, it became an emotional attachment.

Possessiveness.

Not only did Wyatt steal his parking space, but he'd stolen his heart. And Wyatt was keen on keeping both.

Wyatt scooted a bit closer, using his hands that still rested on Lukas' butt to pull himself a bit closer before letting them.....roam in response to Lukas' proposal, showing he knew full well what the other man meant, while he played dumb.

"A good time? Don't you think it's a bit late to be getting out the power tools? I mean, I do have a project to run by you, but....." Wyatt trailed off, the innocence on his face dissolving in so a sly and seductive grin, carefully taking in every micro-expression on his partner's face.

The little kisses sent shivers down his body and electrified every inch of his skin. Distraction or no, Wyatt was fine to let the reminiscing bout their short stint as adversaries go. After all, what did it matter when this is where they were now?

"You're talking a big game, Lukas" Wyatt purred, emphasizing his name in some playfully mocking of Lukas' use of his own name, for whatever reason, "So go on - show me what you've got."

There was challenge in his eyes as he looked in to Lukas', a smirk of a smile on his face. He wrapped his arms over Lukas's shoulders, prepared to be carried off, as he doubted Lukas would be so bold as to make good on his words right here......although Wyatt wouldn't mind. He'd argue later about which of them was kinkier - he was sure there were still a few knots his good ol' boy scout hadn't shown him yet.