"I'll leave that as a surprise…" Christmas Special #1 (Nate version) (Patreon)

At the Agency Christmas Party. Christmas Eve. Late Evening.

A swell of jazzy, tinkling Christmas instrumentals rolls across the room, but it’s definitely not anywhere near loud enough to drown out the cacophony of chatter from all of the Agency folk squashed into the confined space of the Facility’s common room.

Especially when every spare space is already stuffed with glittering décor, from frosted snowmen (which feel eerily chill) to the gigantic Christmas tree taking up center stage in the middle, adorned in an eclectic mix of baubles.

“Are you impressed or overwhelmed?” Nate asks.

I shuffle closer to his side with a chuckle. “I’m not sure yet. There’s certainly quite the crowd.”

“You’ll soon learn that most people here will take any excuse for a celebration.” He smiles as he looks at me. “Truly. Any excuse. A successful mission? There’s a party. A new person joins? A celebration in their honour. Someone figures out a new filing system? Get out the balloons.”

“They must be very pleased to have an actual excuse then,” I joke, taking a sip of my drink and enjoying the spicy zing that fizzles against my tongue.

He nods. “I can’t say I mind too much though. Living so long, it used to be nice to break up the monotony with something to look forward to.”

“Used to be?” I ask with a brow arched.

His arm slides around me further as he kisses my cheek. “Every day has become something to look forward to now I’m with you.”

The warmth of my drink is nothing compared to the flush which rushes through me at his statement.

Someone from across the room waves an arm in our direction, and a smile spreads across Nate’s features.

“I’ll only be a minute saying hello. Will you be all right?” he asks, taking a half-step away but an obvious reluctance making his hand stay on me.

I shoo him away with a wave. “Go. I think I can manage five minutes alone.”

He moves back to me, wrapping both arms around me this time to tug me into a kiss that makes my toes curl and my stomach do somersaults.

When he pulls back, he licks his lips and smiles wide. “Superb drink choice.”

I let out a laugh, watching with a still hazy mind from the kiss as he steers his way through the crowd, stopping every now and then to greet someone.

A happy sigh seeps out of me.

But my contented stance turns slightly tense when a stranger sidles up to my side.

It’s difficult not to pass an inspecting glance over the man, who stands slightly shorter than myself, his large oval, deep navy eyes sparkling in the twinkling lights and contrasting with the green-gold scales that protrude from his skin.

“How does it feel to be the envy of almost everyone in the room?” he asks, the words almost a hiss, but I’m not sure if that’s due to his forked tongue or something else…

I frown, turning slightly towards him. “What do you mean?”

He gestures a taloned finger at Nate, who is surrounded by a group of other agents, their bodies leaning towards him and no small amount of adoration shining from their eyes.

“I’ve been friends with Nate a long time, and it’s been just as long since he’s seriously dated anyone,” he explains. A flashing, unimpressed glance over my body, and a slight wrinkle of his scaled nose, gives me an idea of what he thinks of Nate’s choice of partner. “Didn’t think he’d go for…a human of all things.” Unhidden disdain stains his words.

“Maybe it was less to do with me being human and more to do with me having manners,” I snipe while keeping my gaze directed away.

The derision in his expression tightens before he gives a sharp-toothed smile. “Oh, now I see why he likes you.”

I take another sip of my drink, feeling a slight bubble of satisfaction grow inside of me.

The stranger eases slightly in my presence then, the tension draining away as he leans against the wall beside me, a tail I hadn’t noticed before flicking about behind him.

He tugs at the bottom of his smart black suit jacket. “I didn’t really mean to offend you. It’s just…humans can be kind of fragile. Though I’ve heard you’ve toughed out some seriously intense shit yourself.”

Memories make my jaw clench for a moment. “You could say that.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s not so worried about being with you,” the stranger suggests. It’s such a casual comment, but it piques my curiosity the moment he says it.

I inch slightly closer towards him. “Why would my going through all of that mean he’s less worried?” I hold up my free hand and shake my head. “Wait, what would he have to worry about in the first place?”

The scaled man’s eyes blink at me for a long moment before he clears his throat and turns away. “I’m guessing he hasn’t told you everything yet then.”

“Everything?” I press.

“You know what. I think I’ll leave that as a surprise for you,” he says, fidgeting with his jacket again before meeting my eye with a sympathetic frown. “Though I doubt it’ll be as merry as you’re hoping for.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I see you’ve met Kirk.” Nate’s voice tries to fill my mind, but the weighted implications of what ‘Kirk’ just said lingers like a bad taste. “It’s been a while.”

“Well, you don’t really have a reason to come and see me in administration when you have people as organized as Rebecca and Adam doing your paperwork,” Kirk replies, taking Nate’s offered hand and shaking it.

Nate gives a soft laugh, and the sound of it—coupled with his presence at my side—helps ease me back out of my paralysing thoughts.

“We are very lucky,” Nate says.

Kirk nudges his head in my direction. “In more ways than one. I’m quite impressed by your human.”

“They do have a name,” Nate corrects with a sigh.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, human-with-a-name,” Kirk says to me with a smirk.

I do my best to offer my own smile. “You too. Thanks for the…conversation.”

He glances away with a sheepish wince. “Yeah.”

After a final hurried goodbye nod, he slinks away to the other side of the room, his tail swishing about around him so as people have to create a path for him as he goes.

Nate wraps me into a hug, and I am keen to return the gesture. His warmth envelops me instantly. I sink into it happily, eager to let my growing headache fade away, thinking only of us in this moment.

“It’s nice to see you making friends,” Nate comments. “Though I doubt anyone could not like you instantly.”

I lean back to meet his eyes. “We all have our faults. Though I’m starting to wonder…do you have any?”

He tilts his head back slightly with a more open laugh that reverberates through his chest against mine. “Oh. Many.”

“How about secrets?”

His laughter strangles in his throat as he holds my gaze. He raises a hand to brush his fingers gently against my jawline, his focus sliding away for a moment before he rests his hand against my cheek.

“Many,” he mumbles. Then he just about manages a smile. “But none that need to be revealed tonight. Tonight is for merriment.”

And that I can agree with.

We snuggle against each other, gaining a few calls of “Get a room!”, and settle into a celebratory mood again to enjoy the festive cheer.

And I realise it’s these memories that matter. It will be times like this that get us through anything.

Together.