hatejakku | erku: IC Contact

[ Finn's heart melts and joy buoys him almost instantly, at least at first. It feels so good to hear that James knows he loves him so much. Sure, he says it pretty regularly these days, but hearing and knowing are two different things.

And that's when the nerves hit, when his gift is questioned, thought the smile remains if a little shy now. He shrugs. ]

I wanted you to have something you enjoy, something that you can use.

[ Never mind the inner turmoil if James doesn't like his gift, which suddenly seems extremely possible. The real issue is, what the hell is Finn going to do with a chest of drawers worth of art supplies? ]

[ It's his bad that his reaction comes across as anything even remotely close to disappointment. In truth, he's absolutely speechless about it, not even capable of imagining just how many supplies there might be. He wants to ask about them all, rummage like a kid on Christmas, and for a moment that excitements wars with everything else he's got planned for the night.

He ends up letting out a laugh, loud and a little giddy. He sets the few supplies aside on a table, then steps closer to Finn, arms tight around his shoulders as he kisses him. ]

I love it. I love it, it's perfect, [ He chuckles, kissing Finn again, and again. ] I can hardly wait to go through it all.

[ In fact if it weren't for all the work he's gone through for tonight's date, he'd undoubtedly drag Finn back to his place just to explore all those supplies. ]

[ Relief washes through him hard when it becomes clear that James really does love it. He laughs into the kisses for the first few before actually making attempts at returning them. Also, he's perfectly okay with watching James dig through his new supplies for the entirety of their date. It sounds perfect, if he's totally honest. ]

Good. Good, I'm glad. I can't wait to watch you go through it all.

[ James all excited and happy? Yes. Great time.

He winds his arms a little tighter around his shoulders and tries for a deeper kiss, trying to ignore his smile. ]

[ Finn, how can you think that after all the food he's cooked and the nice decoration he's been working on? Not to mention the little touches he's added to his room and bedroom (but that's for later). No way in hell Jim's gonna let any of it go to waste.

But for just a moment longer, he'll be happy to kiss Finn back, humming against his mouth as the contact deepens. He arches closer, pressing himself up against Finn, fingers curling lightly against his scalp as he indulges for just a little while...

There's a soft crackle of the food cooking in the oven, and he breaks the kiss with a soft whine. ]

Okay, I've got... food. Cooking. And there are drinks, uh... just. [ Clearing his throat, a bit flushed, he smiles while getting Finn's jacket off. ] Come on in. I've got some entrées, to work up your appetite. What do you want to drink? I've got wine, but I can get you something else.

Wine sounds great.

[ If Finn didn't know better, he'd say that Jim was fumbling a little. But what does he have to be nervous about, honestly?

With his jacket off, he leans in again for one more quick peck. ] Is there anything I can help with?

[ He's not nervous! He's just... a little excited. A little out of his depth, too. Okay, he's nervous. Not that he has reason to, he's sure Finn will say yes to his proposal. Probably. God, what if he doesn't? What if he wants his own space, or this is too soon, or— okay, Kirk, focus. No point in panicking about it now.

He'll just have to figure out what the best time to bring it up is. But not yet, no. ]

No. Just have a seat and I'll bring over the wine and some food.

[ He urges Finn towards the small table, then heads to the kitchenette so he can bring a plate with some nicely decorated slices of toasted bread. He also pours some wine for Finn and himself, taking a seat opposite from Finn. ]

The rest of the food won't be long. Do you like pizza?

[ Finn, obviously, has no idea what's coming. The only time he ever let himself entertain the idea of living with James (on either planet) was that one joke during Halloween that he immediately regretted due to what looked like fear in Jim's eyes. So, needless to say, he's a little curious about the unexpected... nerves?

Is it about his cooking? Is he worried Finn won't like his cooking? Preposterous. And that's far into the thought process as Finn gets before he's presented with something that looks way too amazing to be nervous about. His eyes light up when he sees the toast, and the smile softens while he watches James pour their wine and sit across from him. ]

Love pizza. Haven't had any since the last planet we were on. Is that what you're making? And these things- They looks amazing.

[ He doesn't know if they have some fancy name or something. They just look good, and he reaches for one. ] Can I? [ They're so pretty, he kinda hates to. ]

[ He feels fairly confident about the food, actually, and he beams at Finn when he praises the bread. ]

Yes, of course you can. [ He nudges the plate towards Finn. ] I was inspired by something from Earth, bruschetta. I'm not really sure if this is completely accurate, but it's toasted bread with garlic and some toppings. I got some vegetables and fruit on it.

And yes, I've tried my hand at pizza. Made the dough and everything. It was quite an adventure.

[ Finn examines the treat he picked out and listens to what James has to say about it before taking a bite. From his immediate yet muffled squeal, it seems apparent that he likes it. There's so many things at once! Kinda reminds him of pizza in that regard, actually. ]

These are so good. [ He's going to gain twenty pounds tonight, oh no. He's apparently happy about it since he laughs, though. ] I'm sure it's amazing, too. Sounds like you put a lot of work into this.

[ And there's probably 5% worth of a tease in there, but Finn just looks really grateful about it what with his warm smile. Someone put out so much effort to please him and be in his company. And that someone was James. He's so stupidly happy right now.

Not smiling too big to not take another bite, though. Whatever brushetta is, he likes it. ]

[ Jim tried to choose ingredients that worked nicely together, and he's pleased when it looks like he's hit the nail on the head on that one. Well, either that or Finn is just easy to please, which also isn't exactly a lie. ]

Well, maybe a little. It was worth it, though. I wanted tonight to be special.

[ Not exactly a Christmans dinner, as pizza isn't exactly a traditional dish, but special in a different kind of way.

He helps himself to one of the bruschetta pieces too. ]

I also have gifts for you, by the way. In case that wasn't obvious.

[ Finn is stupidly easy to please. Plus, he has no idea what consists of a traditional Christmas dinner. He's still getting used to calling this time 'Christmas' and not Life Day or Starlight. Needless to say, pizza more than works for him.

He nearly mentions something about the 'special' comment. It is special. It's always special when this whole dynamic is concerned. Still, Finn's smile turns into that dopey, warm thing again, then the subject is changed before he can make that comment.

Mostly because he forgets it rather quickly, his eyes widening a little in delighted surprise. Sure, he figured James would get him something, but that word sounded plural. He already loves the whatever it is. ]

Yeah? Thank you. [ Then he laughs sheepishly. ] I guess I should have waited so we can exchange at the same time.

No, that's fine. I didn't really have a set plan for exchanging gifts. I can give you yours now, while the pizza is finishing up.

[ It should be a few more minutes at least, and even if it's done earlier, he can just turn off the oven and it'll wait there to stay warm. Taking another sip from his wine and finishing his slice of bread, he gets to his feet, makes his way over to the couch and brings back a bag with Finn's two gifts inside. ]

Here. I hope you like them.

[ He certainly hopes the recorded music doesn't turn out to be... too much. ]

[ He gets halfway through another toast thing before Jim comes back, Finn's eyes having stayed on him the entire time. Even though he knew (and had it recently reinforced!) that he was getting a gift, his eyes still light up when he spies the bag.

The first thing he sees when he happily peeks inside is the little device. Before he can blink and figure out what it is, though, his eyes land on the picture. And he gasps, because he's cute like that, before carefully pulling it out. ]

It's us! [ Obviously. But, oh wow, he really really loves it. ] It's beautiful. [ And so well done, as usual. Makes him feel that much better about his own gift to Jim.

Then, after a second, he turns his attention back to the little device and pulls it out of the bag. ] What's this? [ A bit redundant once again as he's already pressing play... ]

[ Jim can't help but laugh at Finn's reaction, particularly the remark. Yes, that is kind of obvious. But that reaction is so damn cute, he can't help the happy little flutter in his chest.

That flutter only grows stronger when Finn takes out the small player. His lips press into a thin line, eyes bright and hands curling nervously on his lap where he sits. He doesn't really answer Finn, and soon he'll hear the song coming from the player, first the slow plucks of guitar strings, then Jim's voice singing a slower cover of the song to go with the melody. ]

[ Finn's head tilts a little as the guitar begins, happy to find that this little thing contains music. There's like a handful of songs he knows, so hearing anything like that is always a delight. But then he hears Jim's voice, and the smile melts away while he listens with a whole new perspective.

It's slow, but as the words flow, his features soften, his smile slowly growing again while he stares at the little player with overwhelming warmth, love, and adoration. Not that he remotely realizes it, as stuck in this moment as he is.

Show me... that you love me, too...

His smile gets wider, and he turns to look at James. To him, it's unclear if that's a confession but it's a hell of a lot closer than he ever thought it could be. (And that conviction is just going to get stronger the more he listens to it.)

The player continues on, but Finn's out of his chair and wrapping his arms around Jim's shoulders before he even knows it. He's practically in his lap, kissing him, and to not make the tears in his eyes terribly obvious while he nuzzles against him.

Then, quietly, just for them- ] Thank you. I love it. So much.

[ That's fine, actually. Jim expects it's not the most obvious of declarations, but he... prefers it like this. Small steps, little gestures to show that he genuinely cares about Finn, that his feelings are reciprocated in some way. Maybe completely. He just needs time to be at ease with that instead of freaking out each time he thinks about it.

He was about to ask Finn if he liked it (he assumes he does), but he doesn't have the time to say much of anything, though. Instead he finds himself suddenly with Finn on his lap, and he lets out a soft laugh, his own arms wrapping tightly around Finn. ]

Well, I'm glad to hear. I mean, I figured you would, [ He chuckles, nuzzling back against Finn's temple. ] There are other songs in there. But you can listen to them later.

I will listen to them later. [ Over and over and over. ] Thank you.

[ Finn presses a kiss to Jim's neck before leaning away just a little, just enough to look at him. He doesn't want to ask about the whole confession thing, certainly doesn't want to overthink it, so he just carefully turns the player off (for the moment) and pecks another kiss to Jim's lips.

He should... probably get off of him. But first- He glances across the table. ]

Can I move my chair closer?

[ It's a very fancy setup, and he loves the obvious effort that had been involved (candles! there are even Candles!), but Finn just wants to be beside him. Across the table suddenly looks very far away. ]

[ Yes, he really should move, and Jim really should go check on that pizza. Or else it's gonna get all burned and ruined and Jim's spent far too long getting that dough just perfect. ]

Oh. Yes, obviously! Let's just— move your dish right over here...

[ He pulls the plate, cutlery and wine glass closer, so that Finn can take up a spot beside him, around the corner of the table but well within reach of one another. ]

And you... should move. So I can go get our pizza.

[ Finn huffs a little laugh, presses another short kiss to the edge of Jim's lips, and finally gets off of him. He happily slides into his seat, holding his player perhaps a bit reverently while pulling his other gift closer, too. The artwork is going to go back in the bag before their food arrives just in case things somehow get messy.

But he looks back up to James. He's the best gift of all, and Finn's the sappiest being on the planet. ]

I'm still willing to help if you need it.

No, it's alright. I've got this.

[ The pizza's ready anyway, so not much to get done right now. He turns off the oven, then takes the rectangle-shaped pizza out, carefully sliding it onto a serving dish and setting the tray back into the oven to cool.

Then he brings it to the table, all nice scent of the seasoning and herbs filling the air as he sets it down in front of them. ]

We should probably let it cool a little.

That looks amazing. [ It's all amazing, and maybe Finn's just too damn excited about everything today, but he really does mean it. Smells amazing, too. ] You did a great job.

[ He doesn't touch it yet, taking heed of Jim's advice. It did just come out of the oven, after all. So he uses the moment to asses James himself.

He seems calmer than before, the nerves dissipated some. Perhaps he was only worried about how his gifts would go over, a sentiment that Finn shares considering his own nerves earlier. So his shoulders relax a little, happy that Jim seems okay again, and his hand finds his on the table. ]

Thanks for today.

[ He wasn't particularly nervous about the gifts, actually— maybe the songs in that player, to be fair, but then Finn's reaction has soothed that, and then some. He feels much more relaxed now, and very inclined to enjoying their dinner before he brings up the rest. ]

Thank you, too.

[ He squeezes Finn's fingers tightly in his own, beaming brightly at him. ]

I mean, just... for everything. I thought I'd go stir-crazy being here this long, but I'm not. I'm happy, actually, and in great part it's thanks to you.

[ Oh, that- It sits heavy with Finn while making him melt at the same time. That's a large admission to make, he believes, and not something he's going to take lightly. ]

I know how badly you want to go home. [ Well, he has an idea. It's hard to fully understand it since he doesn't have a very good comparison in his own life. ] Knowing that you're happy here, I'm glad. It means a lot.

[ And he's so so happy and kind of honored that he's a had a large hand in Jim's happiness. ]

[ He does want to go home, that's true. Even if his whole crew was here, or all the people he cares about, he'd still want to go home. But meeting Finn has definitely made his resolve waver, and that's both exciting and terrifying, especially when it's all so new to him.

He holds Finn's hand tightly, and leans in to kiss him again, slower and warmer this time, lingering for a while, head dropping to rest on Finn's shoulder once that contact breaks. Words are just there at the tip of his tongue, but he can't force them out, so he shudders instead. ]

Sorry. [ He laughs a little, pulling back and smiling apologetically. ] Guess I'm just a little emotional today.

[ Finn's hand rests on the nape of his neck while he's pressed against him, nuzzling lightly before Jim pulls away. ]

Don't be sorry.

[ Never be sorry for being emotional, of all things. Though, it is a heavy topic, isn't it? Whatever this is that they share on top of how temporary places like this are. But at least he's made James happy in the interim. That's a lot.

He lifts his hand and presses a gentle kiss to the knuckles. ]

That's part of today, right? Being happy and emotional together?

erku: IC Contact

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and he's NOT supposed to cry???

smfklsdkfl FINN

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