{SE} There’s Always Tomorrow

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

Since waking up, Nate had been trying to stay local. For starters, there was no reason to go around advertising his return. The people who he cared to tell knew, and those who he didn’t would find out eventually.

It had been on one of his local walks that he’d first found the tree, wreathed in a warm living charge of electricity. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered looking twice, but, there was something about the tree that tugged sat in his mind, and he returned the next night, Sunjata tugged along, finding it in mostly the same place. A box of metallic ornaments, if the cast off bits of metal could be called that, sat snugly under his arm.

“This is it.” He announces, turning to look over his shoulder at Sunjata. Nate didn’t really have a plan in mind, but he set the box down and fished his favourite piece out, a double pronged twist. It sat in his hand while he stepped back, considering the tree, his other hand on his chin making his own dim glow brighter.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

Sunjata also hadn’t made it an announcement, but he’s essentially been glued to Nate’s side the entire time. And if he isn’t, well, he isn’t far by any means. Either way, Nate has found something intriguing and Sunjata isn’t one to avoid inspecting what has captured his husband’s attention, carrying a small little box himself with little trinkets within even if for no other reason than because he’d seen Nate stuff a box with things and he wanted to feel involved when the request comes to go and see what the fuss was about.

Despite how Nate looks back at him, Sunjata’s steel gaze is focused on the tree, head cocked as he inspects it and watches the little boughs move on their own accord before calming down. It shakes him from his distractions, stepping up to Nate and leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek with a soft smile, the pressure sparking up Nate’s skin again, glancing down to the item he holds in his hands.

“So is the intention to hang something on it?” He asks, looking back at the tree, scanning it curiously.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

Nate leans into the lips on his cheek, humming warmly and smiling while he does. He’s liked having Sunjata as a shadow, likes knowing he’s going to be there. “The intention,” Nate sings the word, horribly off key, “is to hang a lot of things on it. Decorations. For the,” a hand spirals in the air, “festivities?”

Realization comes suddenly, Nate sucking his teeth and reaching a hand out to squeeze Sunjata’s thigh. “I guess you didn’t have anything like this, huh?” It’s kind of sad to think about, though it’s not as if Nate really had the best memories of the holidays either. “Christmas in Korofi.” A laugh huffs out of him, Nate shaking his head. “That’d be a hell of a holiday special.”

An arm urges Sunjata back a little, Nate throwing a lingering look over his shoulder just to nail the attuneds feet to the ground. He reaches out, tucking his trinket around a branch and grinning. The electricity is nothing more than a tickle of sensation for him. “Tell me where you want stuff put, okay?”

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Hm.” He pauses, regarding the tree with a hint more curiosity than before. “Every year?” He can’t help his intrigue with it – he’s seen it before, of course, but now he has a moment to dig deep, to try and understand why one does it. It’s not like they didn’t have trees in Korofi but they certainly never cut them down to decorate them in ones home.

A grin flashes toward Nate with the squeeze to his thigh, a shake of his head that has those earring tattoos dancing over his shoulders, snagging on the scarf around his neck. “No, we didn’t. I mean… We still gave presents and things but.” He pauses, a little sound leaving him akin to an ‘ehh’ as he places himself exactly where Nate’s pinned him with his gaze. “Never did anything to do with trees.” He didn’t mind. Most family events he wished to avoid anyway.

He gives a soft nod as Nate places the first decoration, squinting at the next few that are pulled out of the box. “The long one up top and to the left.” There’s a specific spindly branch that he thinks it might look well on. “The other two can go… Middle right and bottom middle right.” He cocks his head as he regards it, hands shoved into his pockets now to fight against the cold.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

“Every year.” Nate laughs, rough and deep. “My old man used to go out to god only knows where and come back with some tree he cut down himself. I think he stole them outta parks and shit.” It was about the only holiday minded thing he did, and only on the years he was actually around, but hey, details, right? Sunjata doesn’t need them. “There was the decorating, and presents, and movies. We visited family too. It was like… the one time of the year we all kinda wanted to be around each other.” Nate laughs roughly, shaking his head.

Decorations are passed from hand to hand to hand to hand, static arms settling the ornaments where Sunjata pointed. The electricity seems to bother them even less than Nate’s true arms, though the static pops and crackles with every touch, losing the frequency for a moment. It’s only when he tries to set the bauble on the bottommost branch Sunjata has indicated that the tree seems to take offense, snatching the branch out of tech and keeping it dancing until Nate gives up trying to chase it with a huff, glancing back over his shoulder at Sunjata.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Gods.” He mutters, biting his tongue from adding shit like that’s illegal where I’m from imagining it’s much the same; and from what he already knows, imagines it’s likely not something that would have opposed Nate’s father in the slightest. But he does snort, eyeing the basket of decorations as Nate works to put them up, head cocking slightly as he tries to figure out where the next set would go.

His gaze snaps back to the back of Nate in curiosity, though, the fact that it had been a time where people seemed to put aside their disagreements in order to have a nice holiday, something Sunjata doesn’t fully understand. At least, he didn’t. Not in his youth. “I always dreaded it, personally. We’d have huge banquets and when I got older I was forced to stick next to my father’s side.” It’s said with a slight twinge of venom, covering it up quickly. Nate would understand – granted, Shaju’s torture hadn’t been quite as up front with Sunjata as the Ascended in front of him had experienced.

Still, the tree in its movements does cover up the sour, bitter taste on his tongue that bringing up his father often did – instead, allowing for a chime of a laugh to leave him as he steps close, wraps an arm around the other man’s middle and reaches up to try and hop slightly to grab the trinket from the tree. “Mate, come on, we’re prettying you up.” His accent’s thicker here, eventually managing to snatch the item as the tree seems to lower its branches, like it’s been defeated. He places it on the space that he’d indicated for Nate, eyeing the tree up and down as if he’s daring it to try again. "Not so bad, hm?"

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

“Everything other than church was kinda nice.” Nate admits, a little reluctantly. It’s so much easier to complain about things if they were all dark and dreary, if there was never any hope. He settles a few more trinkets into the branches, trying to keep an even spread of the sparkling decorations, at least until the tree took offense to a placement.

Wide eyes focus on Sunjata, drinking in the rich, heady peal of his accent. Nate seems frozen, watching his husband while a twitching grin drags across his lips. “You should be nicer to it.” He chastises breathlessly, reaching out to wrap his arms around Sunjata and drag him in for a needy kiss, Nate’s hands fisting in the back of his shirt. He pulls back just long enough to mumble a desperate “I love you,” before he’s pressing them together again.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Oh?” He pauses from continuing as the tree starts to throw its fit, his accent slipping out of him rougher here as he fights with it, finally settling on a branch before he’s pulled into a kiss. He gives in, relishing in each and every shared moment before they don’t have a chance to indulge any longer, and when they pull away from one another Sunjata’s gaze is soft, gentle as he clears his throat. “I love you too.” Comes the muttering as they’re pressed together again. It doesn’t last long, though, more chaste kisses leading until Sunjata decides they should continue.

“The tree started it.” He shrugs before he reaches over to grab another trinket for Nate to put onto the tree, even as it wallows slightly. It does have a mind of its own, though, pleased with Nate’s comment, and it extends one branch in particular toward the Ascended that it thinks might hold the trinket nicely. “What movies did you watch?” He asks, handing Nate another few trinkets.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

Nate will always wish they could kiss forever, will always whine when they have to part, and this time is no different. But he understands the impracticalities of his dreams, that he needs to settle, to simply enjoy these moments while they still come. "Is fighting with a tree really worth it Sonskyn?" There's not small amount of teasing laughter in Nate's voice, his head soothed by the easy closeness of the day, of this moment. It's a balm he can sink into easily.

He leans in with his latest bauble, his free hand finding Sunjat's and entangling their fingers while he sets the decoration on the offered branch. A static shock runs between the three of them, seeming stronger because of the distance it has to go and making both their hair stand up. "My favourite was Rudolph." Nate boasts, forgetting for the moment that a certain red nosed reindeer isn't as ubiquitous in Caido as it had been back home. "I don't remember Bart's favourite, " lie, "but it's not Rudolph so he's wrong." He shakes his head, and gestures for another ornament, the boxes nearly half empty now.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Oh pardon me, it’s a magical tree.” Sunjata defends himself, amusement flickering across his face as he puts up a faux defensive wall. “So yes, I’d say it is worth it.” He breaks before he has a chance to keep up the charade, a rumbling laugh leaving him as he leans into Nate ever so slightly, threading their hands together easily as he reaches to grab another bauble, jolting slightly as the electricity is passed between them like a little shock.

As for the movies though, he cocks his head as he hands the next trinket to Nate, watching him curiously with bright steel eyes before he responds. “What’s Rudolph?” Was it a man, a creature, a beast? He butchers the poor reindeer’s name with his thicker accent but he doesn’t try to correct himself, instead fully anticipating to get the story from his husband while they work. “And what was it about?” He prompts in case it wasn’t obvious by the way he stops looking at placements of the baubles and instead scans the Ascended’s face.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

“I still think you’re tough, even if you don’t fight the magic tree.” Nate laughs, losing himself in the strange situation they’re in. For all the bad in Caido, there is a lot of good. It just needs a little care from his own hands to bloom. Care which in this case looks like Nate’s grip tightening, stopping Sunjata from pulling away from the jolt.

Nate holds the latest trinket aloft, giving the tree a chance to offer out a limb for it while he turns to regard his husband. “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. He uh… oh fuck.” The full scale of the Christmas mythos crashes down on Nate all at once, paralyzingly him before he decides to simply focus on this one movie. “So there’s this guy, Santa, and he has a sleigh that flies pulled by magic flying reindeer and he delivers presents to all the good kids in the world, right?” The bauble in his hand is transferred to the nearest branch instead of the offered one, making the tree bristle unhappily, though all of Nate’s focus is on his husband now.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

He hums a laugh, one that softens even as he jumps with the jolt of electricity that slips through Nate and courses through him. He softens, listening to the accented crooning of Nate’s voice with the mention of Rudolph, attention drifting from the tree and its protests to give his husband his full attention.

A scarred brow rises as a small smirk crosses his face, hand squeezing Nate’s as he starts to explain something that makes little to no sense to the ex-Attuned. “Huh, okay.” He begins, humming under his breath. “So, if he’s got a bunch of reindeer pulling the sleigh, is Rudolph one of them?” He keeps his attention on Nate as he grabs another set of baubles, depleting the boxes they’ve brought surprisingly quickly, doing his best to ignore the static shocks of the tree’s branches.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

- NATE -

there's a great unknown from you to me
& when your prayer's unheard and you don't believe

Nate laughs, enjoying the strangeness that comes from sharing something he’d thought everyone knew. It makes sense, but… well, this was more a conversation he thought he’d have with the boys, not Sunjata. “Yes, but not yet. First, he’s just some freak with a glowing nose that everyone hates.” The once attuned grabs the last few hanging baubles, leaving just one in the box Nate had brought along, a spiky, shiny crown to grace the very top of the tree.

“Rudolph decides he doesn’t wanna put up with that, or shame his family or whatever, so he decides to run away.” It’s been years since he’s seen the movie, and while the details are fuzzy, the main beats still ring in his head. “So he leaves, with one of Santa’s elves who wants to be a dentist instead of a toy maker.” Nate looks up at the tree, squinting as he does. “Do you wanna bend down, or do you want me to stretch?” He asks the sentient toothpick directly, giving it the choice before moving in with the star.

so put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea
put your trust in the light that you cannot see

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Oh.” Sunjata replies after a moment, a swift little realization sticking in – a familiarity between the story that Nate’s about to paint and what his husband likely had gone through just as much as Sunjata had. Only, in Korofi, there weren’t stories like that. Myths and legends and folklore, sure, but nothing exactly proving that those considered failures would be anything more than that.

He’s drawn to silence though, listening to the accented tone of Nate’s voice, leaning into the Ascended ever so much as he hands Nate bauble after bauble until the boxes are empty and the tree – while electrified – looks quite beautiful with all the extra bits of color added on. “Good for him.” Sunjata remarks quietly about Rudolph, before his head tilts as he considers it. “Elves, though?” He prompts, head tilting between the tree and the Ascended as he watches them interact.

The tree, while clearly frustrated, does notice it’s the last of the bits to go, and after a rustle of electrified boughs as if its debating, it finally decides to lean down just enough for Nate to place the star on top of it. Though, it’s still quite clearly miffed. “Aye, there you go Sparky.” Sunjata barks out a laugh at that, arms snaking around his husband fully now to envelope him in a tight embrace, steel eyes lit up with the dull reflections of the baubles on the tree.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine