A Holiday Adventure - 10. Frivolity, Fun, And Romance

Kris, Leland, and Stella walked into the kitchen, where the boys were preparing their lunch.

"How's everything going, Pop?"

Nicky and Reilly momentarily abandoned their preparations, hugged and kissed their family members, fixed them something to eat and drink, and continued working on their food.

After thanking the boys, Kris said, "Thanks to a little magic, a lot of elbow grease, and ingenuity, we're just about fully back up and running. Thank the spirits that nothing already made got damaged, or we'd be digging ourselves out of a hole deep enough for at least three graves."

"That's a relief," Reilly commented as he and Nicky joined the other three at the dining room table.

"Ry, since you're gonna be taking my place sometime, I'd like you to start getting to know the elves and, with Nicky's help, getting to know the reindeer. That way, you can choose your team and be ready to take over. It's never too early to start preparing."

"That's so cool, Papa. I'll start working on that after New Year's."

"Obviously, there's no rush, but that's the perfect time to start."

Reilly grinned as he looked at Leland and said, "Scratch that, I'm starting now. I already know that aside from my soul mate, I want to have Leland, Gabby, and Rollie as the first chosen members of my team."

Everyone laughed because Leland froze, wide-eyed, and holding his fork halfway between the plate and his gaping mouth.

"M...Me? You want me on your team?"

"Of course, Lee. From the moment we met, you've been very accepting of me, treated me no different than how you treat Nicky, called me your brother, helped Nicky protect me and the other elves when the hound attacked, and kept me from getting hurt when I passed out after the beast was defeated. I'd be crazy not to want you on my team, Bro."

Tears dripped down the mage's cheeks as he got up, stepped over, and hugged and kissed his fairy brother.

"You're the first Santa to ever ask a Frost to be on their team."

"You've made wise choices, Ry," Stella said.

"I agree, Son, and I'm very proud of you. I'd also like to throw this in. Nicky, I know you've never been big on being the next in line to be Santa. However, I think that maybe your hesitance is going on the delivery trip without your mate beside you. I could be wrong, and correct me if I am, but like your mother, when it comes to my child, that's rarely the case." Kris offered. When there wasn't any push back, and he saw a nod of support and a smile from his wife, he continued. "Son, you have to understand that in the days of the first delivery, it was a different world with unknown dangers, and your Grandpa and Grandma decided Anna should stay home, just in case something happened to Kris. Since then, it continued as a tradition. Santa makes the midnight run, and his wife kept the home fires burning and waited for his return." He paused and placed his hand on his son's hand. "Nicky, times have changed. You have taken our family legacy into the future because you're the first gay Santa candidate in the history of our family. Then you added another first by bringing Reilly home as the first human to visit the Pole since your Grandma Anna. Next, young Reilly blows everyone away when it's discovered he's the only survivor of a race everyone thought was extinct, and he's a Prince. Son, what I'm getting at is this, you and Reilly should be together on the delivery. I think that will make the privilege much more enjoyable for you."

Nicky mockingly glared at his mate, dad, and mom, and said, "You guys just had to figure out a way to get me into a Santa suit, didn't you?" He giggled, then got up and kissed the giggly fairy's cheek before kissing his parents' cheeks.

Reilly chuckled and said, "Damn straight, Santa Junior, I'd never pass up the opportunity to see your adorable butt in the red and white suit."

Stella and Kris chuckled when Reilly giggled, squirmed, and squealed because Leland and Nicky launched a quick double-sided tickle attack on his ribs and stomach.

When lunch was over, the boys were told to go have some fun, so they went outside to play in the snow.

Nicky went to the stables and got Roland from his stall. The playful reindeer pinned him against the opposite stall door and tickled the elf's stomach, making him squirm, giggle, and squeal as he slid to the ground. After the tickles ended, the pair ran outside to join the other two boys.

Reilly and Leland were wrestling. The mage dove on the ground, grabbed his opponents ankle, then pulled forward, knocking the fairy off balance, and while the blonde was on the ground, he pounced, pinning his newly acquired brother face up on the snow-covered ground.

"I got ya now, Ry," Leland said.

Meanwhile, Nicky and Roland were chasing each other. The deer charged his elf, who jumped into the air, did a somersault, and landed on the animal's back.

"What ya gonna do now, baby buck?"

Roland snorted and shook his head.

Nicky laughed and said, "Oh, really? You've got me right where you want me? Nice one, Rollie."

The buck took off running at top speed in a zig-zag formation.

Nicky grabbed the base of his pet's antlers and rode him like a champion. He even raised one arm in the air and hollered, "Yee-Haw!"

While that happened, a few yards away, Reilly giggled and grunted as he wriggled and kicked his legs while attempting to escape from under the slightly shorter male. His chuckling captor stood up and grabbed his ankles. Next, the mage created an icy platform and made it float in the air. "Hey, you're cheating," he hollered while swinging back and forth upside down.

"How is this cheating, Ry? No rule against using magic. Besides, if anyone was cheating, it'd be you because you have wings."

Reilly blushed and chuckled, saying, "Oh, yeah, I forgot I had those."

Leland held the fairy's left ankle with one hand, pulled the boot from the wiggling foot with his other hand, and tossed it to the ground.

"Hey, Bro, your feet ticklish?"

"No! Reilly's feet are totally not ticklish," the struggling male hollered.

"Ya know, I'm the type of guy that has to find things out for himself."

When his captive squeaked and tried harder to escape, Leland giggled, and he loved seeing the toes wiggling inside the blue ankle sock decorated with white snowflakes. His tongue ran across his lips as his fingers traced the snowflake in the center of the blonde's curved arch. It took about two seconds before Reilly's squeals and boyish giggles escaped his mouth and floated along the afternoon's wintery breeze into his new brother's ears. His trapped foot wiggled and flipped back and forth, trying to avoid the tickler's fingers.

"Well, we've now discovered that Reilly's feet are indeed tickly and that he is a very ticklish fairy,"

Leland said, giggling. His eyes glowed, and the snow under the fallen boot lifted it to the playful mage's free hand, who smiled as he placed the footwear back on the sock-clad foot.

Back on the ground, Roland began bucking like a bronco. It wasn't until the reindeer brought his front hooves down while kicking his hind legs out that his passenger was sent flying through the air.

In the sky, Reilly playfully growled as he sent a blast of sparkly magic at Leland, knocking him off the platform. He created a glittery mattress for his former captor to land on while his wings fluttered, keeping him aloft. Not letting the fallen elf have a chance to retaliate, he created a long, flat piece of cloth to wrap around and mummify the magic user, which left only his head and feet exposed. The blonde saw his mate was airborne, then created another piece of fabric that mummified the falling elf and had it deposit him safely beside his best friend and brother.

"Hey, nice of ya to drop in," Leland said, chuckling.

"Like I had any choice in the matter."

"Let us go," The elves hollered as they squirmed and tried breaking free of their wrappings.

Reilly giggled as he and Roland approached the trapped elves. They gulped, and their eyes widened when their boots were removed.

"Hey, Rollie, ya wanna help me tickle our elf boys' feet?"

"Hey, I only took one of your boots off," Leland whined.

"Makes ya wish you'd taken them both, huh?"

For the next five minutes, boisterous squeals, laughter, and threats flowed from the ticklish guys as the reindeer and fairy took turns tickling their sock-clad feet. When they were released, the brotherly pair tackled their former ticklers, put them in headlocks, and gave them noogies before their sides a good dose of tickles. Reilly and Roland wriggled and thrashed in the holds they were trapped in. The fairy howled with laughter, and the reindeer's legs kicked in the air as he snorted and struggled.

Nicky grinned as he lightly stroked his fingertips along his pet's antlers, which made the buck struggle even more and snort. "I know your antlers are very ticklish. Why do you think I'm tickling them, silly boy," he said before stopping the tickle attack and kissing Roland's nose. He then leaned to the side and kissed his lover's pink cheek.

Before leaving, Leland hugged and kissed his brothers and Roland, then created an air-gliding ice slab to take him home.

The couple wanted to make their night extra special from start to finish, so they agreed to shower and dress in separate rooms so neither one saw what the other chose to wear until they met each other at the staircase. When they saw what the other chose to wear, the couple laughed and asked, "Really?" Nicky wore a shimmering emerald green button-down shirt, silver tie, shiny red vest, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Reilly chose a shiny red button-down shirt, silver tie, shimmering green vest, black slacks, and black dress shoes.

Stella and Kris chuckled when they saw their boys' outfits, and Stella took pictures with her phone. They hugged and kissed the couple and watched from the front door as Nicky and Reilly climbed into the two-seater sleigh and left for town with Roland and Fluffy at the reins.

All the lights and the festive atmosphere were like nothing Reilly ever experienced before, and his eyes darted everywhere because he didn't want to miss a thing. It also seemed as if everyone in Elfington City knew who he and Nicky were and stopped to say hi as they walked the snow-lined sidewalk, gazing into the shop windows. One display in a toy store window made him stop and gasp.

"What's up, my love?"

The fairy pointed to a couple of stuffed animals in the center of the display and said, "Those two are my designs." The toys he pointed out were a pink and green Pegasus zebra and an elephant with a rainbow-colored snout.

Nicky wrapped his arms around his mate from behind, rested his chin on the slightly taller being's shoulder blade, and said, "They've been the best-selling stuffed animals here for a long time. I remember when Dad and Mom worked out a deal with your family's company to buy the designs from them.

"I remember when Mom and Dad told me they'd sold my designs for almost ten times over what anyone thought they were worth because they didn't sell well for our company."

"Mom and Dad saw great potential in them and knew the children of the North Pole would love them for generations to come."

After dinner, the guys joined the other couples on the outdoor dance floor. At one point, they found themselves beside the Mayor and First Lady.

"Well, it's about time we get to see you two," Gene said.

"Uncle Gene, Auntie Sable, I'd love for you to meet my soul mate, Reilly D'Angelo."

"Welcome to the North Pole, young man. I hope you're doing well after your transformation," Sable said.

The older couple hugged and kissed Nicky and Reilly, and Gene's bear hug lifted them off the floor.

"I'm feeling freer and more like myself than I've ever felt, Mayor and Mrs. Elfington."

Gene said, "Please, no formalities. Reilly, you're part of the family. If you'd like to, feel free to call us Uncle and Auntie."

"I'd love that, Uncle Gene."

The stars sparkled brightly on the ride back to the house. Reilly and Nicky were comfortable with their arms wrapped around each other and their heads resting on one another's shoulders. Nicky stopped the deer and gazed into Reilly's eyes.

"Reilly, although I don't have a ring to give you yet, I'd be honored if you'd marry me."

The fairy smiled and kissed his lover.

"Nicky, no one else on Earth or in any galaxy in the universe is more perfectly matched to me than you. I will marry you."

"I love you," they said before sharing a long love-filled kiss.