Chapter Text
Nate gazed out at the falling snow from his spot at the dinner table, hands cupping his still warm mug of after-dinner tea. He was endlessly grateful to be home and no longer out in the frigid weather. Given he was significantly more talkative than Matt, and he wasn’t a magic user, he’d been accepted quickly by the town and therefore was now the designated errands runner. The two weeks running up to Christmas had been an exhausting marathon of back and forth, hauling various goods with the help of their one horse. Matt’s woodwork typically sold in the summer months as people were moving into new homes, but there was a noticeable increase of unique pieces and custom orders during the holidays. Nate’s small pieces were selling well too, both his carved items and his new forays into knitting.
Matt’s primary business over Christmas season became food. Not everyone was willing to buy from him, and rarely was someone willing to pick it up themselves, but there was still no shortage of desire for his beautiful pastries and cakes. Nate’s friendly smile and personal affirmations had helped it become the busiest season in years. They’d built a temporary storage shed outside to store the pastries, taking advantage of the freezing temperatures outside to keep the space cold. Matt could spend long days baking in large batches and have extra time the next day for woodworking. Even so, he was frequently up early and up late working. Nate had taken to stealing Matt’s thick boiled wool coats and cloaks on market days, which had increased to nearly every day, in an effort to maintain some warmth. Their bed now resembled more of a small cave in a mountain of blankets.
Christmas Day had been a quiet affair the day before, each content to relax in the newfound peace. They’d spent the day enjoying a simple dinner and reading newly gifted books by the fire. They had plenty of funds, plenty of supplies, and plenty of time to keep for themselves. Both were very excited to spend the next few weeks solely in the company of each other. Nate leaned back into the warmth of his love’s chest as Matt walked up behind him, humming gently. He blinked as a small six-inch cake was gently placed in front of him. It was delicately decorated with ivy and holly designs in deep green and red on bright white. He raised an eyebrow at the taller man as he watched him wander around the table to his own chair. Sweets were generally rare in the house, sugar being expensive, but had been even more rare since the crazed baking season had started – everything made being sold. He waited for the explanation, willing to be patient for the game.
Matt smiled and winked before caving.
“First day of Christmas. One cake.”
“The first of Christmas was yesterday.”
Matt shrugged. “Christmas was busy.”
“Overwhelmingly so, fuck. Does this mean on the second day of Christmas there’ll be…two…cakes?”
Nate’s mouth was watering already from the wintery spices wafting off the cake but the concept of even more coming excited more than just his taste buds. Matt had never initiated a game like this. He’d never said no, but he’d never brought forth the idea.
Matt leaned over the table, voice low and husky. “There’s twelve days of Christmas, and that bakery store hold fits a lot more than it looks.”
Nate’s eyes blew wide. That was nearly eighty of these little cakes. The distress of the cost of that much excess fought with the greed coiling in his gut.
Matt hushed his fears before he could even voice them, grinning sheepishly. “We have plenty, love. I, we, sold well more than I ever have. We’ll have more than enough to carry us through spring, and maple syrup season should be good this year too come a month or two. I want to pamper you. I want to make you feel good. You just need to be good and let me fill you.”
Nate wasn’t sure how a man who had never experienced sexual attraction was so incredibly good at sparking it. Matt handed him a fork, not needing to say another word. Nate dug into the cake, pulling off a forkful of gently sweet frosting before starting on bouncy, spiced cake. He tore through it quickly, hungry for the rare dessert after lounging a while after their simple dinner. Dinner’s simplicity suddenly had a deeper reasoning than just exhaustion. Happily, he took his time with the last bites, savoring the special treat and thinking of those to come. The challenge was intimidating, but the first few days were deceptively easy sounding and the promise of a rare treat every day, several times a day, encouraged him. He burped slightly as he finished and stretched, stomach pleasantly full with his large meal.
Slipping into bed, Matt curled an arm over Nate’s flat belly and gently kissed his messy bangs. Smiling, Nate kissed back before falling into easy dreams.