Several weeks had passed since the celebrations, by now most people had put their festive décor away, moving on with their lives as usual, patiently waiting for another occasion to drag them out of the mundane; but not Markus. Even the old New Year had come and gone and still the human refused to at least put the Christmas tree away, instead allowing it to hang out in his living room for just a little while longer. Though given his track record it wouldn’t be unprecedented if it stayed in its place until March.

And joining the young man in this madness – not entirely by choice – was Fane. He was still adjusting to the bizarre yet unquestionably practical technology of this world. He sat there leafing through the digital version of one of the texts that managed to pique his interest.

“You really should put that thing away sometime soon.” The skeleton said as with a few clicks of a button several inconsequential chapters were skipped. “As much joy as I’m sure the festivities bring you, there’s no need to become quite so fixated.”

The human was mesmerized; his body wrapped up in a cozy blanket and seemingly frozen in place as he stared at the brilliantly lit tree in front of him. The lights flickered, dancing playfully as they reflected off of the glasses sitting on Markus’ nose. Fane’s voice shook him out of his trance through and he chuckled. “Oh come on, I love this thing!” The young man smiled and looked over his shoulder, leaning closer to the skeleton and resting the back of his head against the armrest. “Besides, what’s it matter if I enjoy some complacency in my free time?”

“I suppose there’s no harm in it. Still… Isn’t this a little…” Fane cocked an eyebrow at the human; he wasn’t quite at ease with such traditions just yet. “Unorthodox?”

“When has that ever stopped me?” Markus responded sticking his tongue out just the slightest bit.

“Very well…” Fane shook his head and let out a long defeated sigh. “But since you’re so insistent on lounging about, let’s at least get some practical use out of it.” The eternal said lifting the hot cup of tea he had in his lap and taking a sip. A moment later Markus felt a saucer press down on his head followed shortly by the cup itself as Fane went straight back to reading without so much as a hint of remorse.

“This will probably do wonders for your posture as well.” The eternal remarked, earning another warm laugh from the human who tried his best to keep the beverage as stable as possible.

“I’m not sure it works if I’m sitting down.”

“Details…” Fane waved the human’s objection away as he reached for the cup and took another sip, the tea seemingly disintegrating into fleeting flutter of turquoise cinders somewhere inside the skeleton’s mouth.

The human’s eyes returned to the brightly-lit tree in front of him as his chest rose and fall with a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re around Fane.” He said quietly.

With a click Fane place his cup back down and crossed one leg over the other. “I know you are.” He stated matter-of-factly but then, after a short pause added. “Happy Birthday, Markus.”

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A wonderful cozy piece commissioned from the wonderful  Glaucablitz