hatejakku | erku: IC Contact

[ 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?

[ Jim chuckles when Finn kisses his knuckles, nodding at the words. ]

Right. Yes, it's partly about that.

[ But that's not really the reason why he's nervous, is it? Anyway, that can definitely wait. Jim leans in for a kiss to Finn's cheek, then he shifts back into his seat properly, scooting the chair forward and closer to the table as he clears his throat. ]

Come on, I'll serve you.

[ He slices the pizza into squares, moving a couple of them onto Finn's plate, then two other onto his own, also helping himself to one of the two last slices of toast. ]

[ Partly? To be fair, Finn doesn't know anything about these holidays beyond the basics. Give gifts, spend time with loved ones, make others happy, etc. That seems to be the common theme.

So he doesn't question it and promptly forgets when food is put in front of him. Less so because of the food and more so because of the gesture, his smile wide and warm because of it.

Instead of saying something that would just be a repeat of himself ("thank you" or "it look amazing" or what have you), Finn tries out his piece. It's still a bit hot which makes him laugh around his mouthful but, hey, it's really good. Instead of talking with his mouthful, he just nods and chews with a big smile. ]

[ It's not like Jim's celebrated Christmas before either, but any holiday that's meant to spend time with loved ones and show his appreciation for them he'll take. Plus, he likes giving gifts, all the more so when he gets a reaction like Finn's.

Jim smiles and chuckles when Finn takes a bite from the pizza and nods approvingly. Good. Well, it did smell great before, so Jim was pretty confident it'd come out alright, but still. With a pleased hum, he takes a bite from one of his slices, eyebrows both raising as he chews and swallows it down. ]

Mm. Better than I thought.

[ Following Finn's lead, he also focuses on eating his meal for now, since there'll be plenty of time for them to talk later. ]

You did great.

[ There's a little laugh and smile there before Finn goes back to his food. For a guy who apparently didn't know anything about cooking a few months ago, the results are phenomenal. Finn can't help but feel a spark of pride about it.

He tucks into his meal then, and his portions of the pizza are gone before he really knows it. Finn then busies himself with snacking on another piece of James' fancy toast as if it were a dessert, smiling and happy all the while. He steals glances at James occasionally, just... stupidly delighted. Absolutely dumb with it. ]

You did an amazing job. [ He says between bites of his "dessert." ]

[ Jim's always been a fast learner, when it comes to... well, practically anything. Even with no prior knowledge about cooking, mere observation has taught him a lot, and once he had the basics down pat, it was just a matter of learning and following new recipes. ]

I'm glad. I was worried the dough wouldn't come out good, but I followed the recipe to the letter, and it worked pretty well.

[ He's very proud and stupidly delighted about this personal achievement too, for what it's worth. ]

I've also made dessert, but that was actually pretty easy. That one I kind of made up myself.

[ There are recipes floating around, huh? Finn's going to have to get into some of that. He was already planning on surprising James in a similar way right back eventually, so why not try something new while he was at it?

His eyebrows lift at the mention of a dessert. ]

Yeah? What'd you do?

[ There's so much fun to be had with sweet things. Plus, there are billions that Finn knows he hasn't so much as heard of yet. ]

[ Well, most of them are designed for a more sexual purpose. (Is anyone surprised by that, really?) But so far it's been easy enough to change and adapt, and beyond that he has managed to find at least one book with more basic kitchen tips and recipes. ]

Sort of a crumble? [ He laughs. ] I, uh... tried to make a pie, but the base fell apart. So now it's a fruit crumble.

[ Problem? More like a solution. ]

[ Finn's never heard of a 'crumble.' Isn't even sure if that's a real thing or something James has just made up. Probably real. Regardless- ]

Sounds delicious. [ He laughs. ] I haven't found a pie I don't like, anyway. And this sounds even better.

[ It's totally real, Bones has made plenty in the past. He knows what he's talking about here, okay. ]

Kinda hard to go wrong with pie, especially the sweet kind. It's made with a local fruit, though, so I guess it depends on whether or not you like that fruit.

[ He gets to his feet to go get the plate. It vaguely looks like an attempt was made to make a biscuit base, but having fallen apart, Jim just moved the crumbled pieces to the top of the fruit jam. There, a crumble.

He also gets two plates to serve onto as well as cutlery, sitting beside Finn again. ] Help yourself.

[ God, he's so totally charmed by this man and his pie turned crumble thing. God. Appetizers and dinner and dessert. It's ridiculous how smitten he is, adorable.

Finn's had no choice but to try a lot of the local foods and he's a fruit kind of guy. So, yeah, he's pretty sure he's going to like this, too. It's easy enough to do as told, spooning some of the crumble into his plate. ]

You really thought of everything tonight. [ He's already planning a cake or something in return, not that he believes Jim thinks he'll get something back. That's part of why Finn wants to. ]

Well, I tried.

[ Jim likes things just so. For someone who makes shit up on the fly when he's in a pinch, when he plans something like this he likes to make sure that everything is exactly as he pictured it, and yes, he is pretty pleased with his accomplishments tonight, ranging from decoration to cooking, involving everything else in-between.

There's plenty of crumble so Finn can help himself to however much he wants; once he's done, Jim takes some for himself as well, then digs in. He's had a taste before so he knows he likes it, but he's more curious about Finn's opinion. Then again he's got a feeling he could serve a block of charred cake and Finn would still say it was perfect. ]

[ And he would be absolutely right. Plus, Finn would totally mean it. James would have made it for him, after all. Of course, it's nothing less than perfect. But in this case, he really does love these dishes. They taste amazing, which just kinda compounds on all the warm feelings he's got going on.

So it's no surprise to anyone that he lights up after tasting it. The fruit's tangy, almost sour but in great, complimentary way. He hasn't had anything like it before. ]

This is so good. [ One sec, just taking a few more bites. ] Did you find a recipe for this, too?

[ Jim doesn't even care that much about eating what's on his place. He's much more interested in seeing whether Finn likes it, and he's stupidly happy when it's clear that he does. ]

Not, uh... not really. [ He laughs a bit at the mention of a recipe. ] I just tried to do the base on my own, which is probably why it fell apart. It was good, though, so I wasn't going to throw it away.

[ It's food! And food is especially scarce around here. Jim could never let it go to waste. ]

I think it's better. [ Finn would think that. Little bit messier than a traditional pie maybe? But it's fantastic so whatever.

Finn happily finishes off his plate pretty quickly, making sure he gets every sweet little crumb he can find. ] Maybe I can help make this with you one day. [ He wants to have all of these things again eventually maybe. Because they're for him and they're so good and it's made him stupidly happy. ]

And I think you're biased.

[ Obviously very biased, but Jim isn't about to complain. Maybe he enjoys Finn being incredibly biased when it comes to him. Small, casual reminders that Finn's feelings for him aren't going anywhere.

... not that he worries (often), but anyway. ]

I'd like that.

[ It's the thought of Finn and him cooking together in the kitchen that makes his heart go a little faster again, a mix of excitement and worry and happiness and nervousness all over again. It's all so terribly domestic, and he can't help but worry that Jim absolutely misread Finn's remark about moving in, that it was all just a joke and he doesn't want the kind of limitations that come with a commitment like that.

And there he goes, overthinking again. ]

I'd like that. A lot. [ God, he's so nervous he can't even finish his dessert. This is ridiculous. ] I want to cook all kinds of meals with you. And do other things together with you.

[ Finn, at first, only laughs about being biased. ] Maybe I am but that doesn't make it less true. [ Because, fact, James is the best and so is this dessert.

Not that he's thinking about it since he's still so very clueless, but Finn had completely meant the remark as a joke at the time. Not because he didn't want that with James but because he still can't imagine that kind of thing happening. Can't imagine that James would want that sort of thing with him, something that was very definitely not just 'roommates.'

Then again, as time goes on and James does things like giving him such thoughtful gifts or working hard on a dinner or just saying things like that, it makes the idea of reciprocation seem like not so much of a pipe dream, after all.

His smile turns warm and soft quickly enough. Given how it's spoken, the 'other things' bit doesn't entirely feel promiscuous, either. Which is fortunate, because Finn wants to do everything with him like a clingy little puppy. Unsurprising and as is usual when he has too much love to properly express, he gently takes Jim's hand in his and lifts it just enough to press a kiss to his knuckles. ]

Me, too. You never even have to ask.

[ Yeah, okay, never mind his dessert. He probably couldn't stomach it right now anyway, with how ridiculously nervous he is. And then Finn takes his hand and kisses his knuckles, and he says those words and Jim nearly shakes apart. ]

I do. I do have to ask, because this is— you are—

[ He pauses, mouth opening, closing, opening again, then groans in nervous frustration. Closing his eyes for a moment, he finally gets to his feet, still holding on Finn's hand and tugging on it. ]

Alright, come with me. I need to show you something.

[ Show, or ask, whatever. He does need to get this out of the way before he chickens out of it. Once Finn is up, Jim leads them to his bedroom, which has also been decorated to match the theme. There are some nicer fabrics hanging on the walls and over the window for a nicer, softer mood, some candles which haven't yet been lit, and rose petals strewn across the bed in a very over-the-top fashion. Jim was kind of planning on going through a whole different scenario but he feels like his nerves might get the best of him at this point, so the dancing together and cuddling on the couch before bed will have to wait. ]

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