Alpha Assignment (BL) Chapter 53 (Early Access) (Patreon)

A plastic-wrapped basket plopping onto the end of Quinn’s desk announced Jordan’s return to the office.

He jumped up and clamped the smaller man in a hug before he had a chance to take off his coat or woollies.

Jordan laughed into his chest. “How bad was that presentation for you to be reacting like this to my grand return?” Still, he wrapped his hands around Quinn’s back and scrunched his shirt within them, returning the squeeze with all his might.

“I thought I liked silence,” Quinn chuckled, pressing Jordan back a step to look his in the face. “But the last week sucked without you.”

Jordan’s mouth fell open. “Look at you with the normie lingo!”

They both laughed, separating fully. As Jordan undressed, Quinn turned his attention to the basket.

“Couldn’t get through your first day back without a bowl of treats?” he teased. Through the clear plastic he could see piles of candies and chocolates neatly stacked around a teddy bear, a mini bottle of whiskey and a men’s grooming set.

“That’s for you,” Jordan replied. “Well, Remi will probably hoover up the sweet stuff…”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Jordan smiled, a little coy. “A thank-you gift.”

“You don’t need to thank me for anything.”

“Really?” He leant over the crack between their desks and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Because Jay was in full stalker mode until he returned to work.” He tilted his head as though witnessing something mildly amusing. “One day in-office and suddenly he’s not trying to contact me by carrier pigeon or chalk scribbles on my driveway or any other ridiculous method outside of blocked phone calls.”

Quinn wiggled his mouse to rouse his screen back to full brightness. “How strange.” He did what any good friend should do, it didn’t require praise.

“You’re really not going to take credit?”

“Nothing to take credit for.” He looked back and winked. “You and Remi can split the sweet stuff.”

Jordan slid into his seat at half-speed. “Interesting.”

“Very,” Quinn agreed.

“So filing all of the backlogged invoices was what made him a changed man?”

“We can only assume.”

Jordan smiled, so did Quinn. The scent of Jay remained at a distance all day.

If there was one thing Quinn had learned about Eveline in the time since her arrival, it was that she loved paperwork. Quinn could no longer work from home at his dining table as their newest arrival poured over forms and documents.

On the sofa, he balanced his laptop on his knees, with Remi curled into his elbow, small feet wriggling just behind the screen. Even then, he wasn’t really working…

He was researching some of the activities that Jordan had listed for him - Christmas activities. This weekend, they could leave Wes and Eveline for the day, and have some alone time. Much needed alone time. If Quinn could pick an amount of time he and Remi could spend alone it would be all of it, but for now they had to settle for pockets.

He stopped typing and swiping his mouse pad. For now? They (Eveline) were filing to offer their home and land as Sanctuary - to any and every wolf that needed it. Privacy might just be a thing of the past. The thought filled him with an uncomfortable feeling. Peeking at Remi, it seemed he was the only one with any doubts, so he returned to the itinerary they were building for Saturday. The tough questions could be answered once the applications were in and the Assembly response received.

Just a couple more days of work, and they would be enjoying a romantic, wintery date - that was all he needed to keep his mind on until there was a development with the Sanctuary situation.

They started with ice skating. Neither were very good at it but their natural balance outmatched the humans who were falling flat every five minutes. Slow and clunky, they stayed upright for the entire session - hands interlocked despite the cold. They hadn’t brought gloves or hats or scarves - Quinn hadn’t realised it would actually be cold inside a giant plastic dome, or that the ice could be real. It didn’t look like real ice in the photos - in fact, it didn’t look like real ice as they slid over it. It looked like wet, shiny flooring. In his time in their world, Quinn had noted quite a few instances where humans liked to indulge in the fantasy of taking part in something possibly dangerous, but not actually committing to it. Swimming in concrete holes in the ground instead of the sea, or lamp-warmed saunas at the gym used by men who would never sit near actual hot coals, and fake fireplaces - some that didn’t even give off heat!

He didn’t voice his opinions on human oddities to Remi, mostly because there were too many ears in range, but partly because it might ruin his fun. Skipping and skidding round and round in circles had his cheeks flushed, his smile plump, and his topknot bobbing. A perfect sight to Quinn.

After the bell rang and the skaters were all summoned through a small gate to swap shoes again, they exited the dome and crossed the street to a ‘Christmas Market’ on the other side. It was filled with wooden stalls and shelters, and decorated with green garlands and garish hangings shaped like all kinds of strange objects: ballerinas, bells, soldiers, wings, trains and birds. What any of these things had to do with Winter, Quinn couldn’t explain.

Jordan had advised on the crucial tasting items: hot chocolates with liqueur, candied nuts, mulled wine and potatoes with melted cheese.

The hot chocolates were sickly sweet, and Remi assisted in finishing Quinn’s after he gave up in a few sips. The alcohol warmed his throat a little, but that was all. Remi’s red cheeks called to Quinn’s cold hands, and he pressed his face between them, admiring his precious mate.

“I love you,” Remi mumbled between the squish of Quinn’s palms.

Quinn kissed the tip of his pink nose. “I love you more.”

“It’s not a competition.” Remi stepped back from Quinn’s hold. “But if it was, I would win.” He staggered a little, and Quinn’s hands were there to pull him in again and steady him.

“Okay, you win,” he laughed quietly. “And for your victory, I suggest a sit-down while we let the alcohol settle in you.”

Remi giggled, which Quinn took as an affirmative, and hoisted him up into his arms. Balancing Remi’s butt into the nook of his elbow, Quinn began a search for a seat. Head slightly higher than Quinn’s, Remi was enjoying his new view.

“It must be so strange to be up here all the time,” he whispered. “The ground is so far away…” He wrapped his arms around Quinn’s shoulders and cuddled in close. “Do you ever get scared?”

“Scared?”

“Of being so high up?”

A laugh burst from Quinn, shaking them both. When he glanced up, Remi was pouting at him.

“No, I’m used to it,” he answered softly.

The sky was just beginning to dim, and from what Jordan had explained, Quinn understood the real beauty of Christmas events was to view the lights in the dark.

He spotted a pop-up sit-down eatery and requested a table. Once they were shown to their seats, Quinn lowered Remi into his. The waitresses cooed as he did. On the menu, he spotted the highly important cheese and potatoes.

“We need to try this, Jordan said it’s very Christmas,” he informed Remi, tapping the menu. “And it will probably soak up the liqueur nicely…”

Remi nodded with a serene smile. A small chuckle hit Quinn again - his mate was so damn cute.

The cheese and potatoes didn’t taste any different to cheese and potatoes Quinn could make at home, but Remi enjoyed it, and by the time they finished, the sun had fully set.

They bought a selection of candied nuts and a small cup of mulled wine to share, and meandered through the makeshift shops and amusements at a glacial pace. It was lovely simply to walk with his mate, admiring the colourful lights, and watching him eat and drink and, as the humans said, be merry. They took the time to peruse every stall, although most of the items were foreign to them outside of cartoons. One bauble did catch Quinn’s eye, and at Remi’s encouragement, he purchased their first Christmas decoration.

The ball was glass, heavy and solid, filled with tiny white flakes to resemble snow, and sat in the centre was a little house that could easily be Quinn’s, or any other on his street. Their little Sanctuary sat in a flurry of snow.