Winter Heaven

Winter Heaven

His body bent over the piano, fingers dancing along the ivory and ebony keys, his eyes closed, hair brushing over his white brow, his temples, his high cheek bones...Every fibre of his being felt the music, every tendril of his soul called out the melody from the ancient instrument, begging, coaxing, teasing the musical notes out. It was a slow, sensual song, his heart humming to it and his mind bathed in ecstasy...such ecstasy. Everything was warm, soft, good around him...everything felt right, everything felt perfect. From the cool keys beneath his fingers to the padded seat beneath his body...everything was just...well, it was. Everything was, and he bathed in the pool of Creation that Deity had built from its tears...tears of joy, of happiness, of love. This was an amazing feeling, a freeing feeling...this was life, and this was love...this was the very reason for existence. Not mere living, but existence itself. Without it - oh, he could no longer envision a life without it, after he had found it. He would not go on, if it was taken from him...just as the music would not go on, if the pianist was taken away from the piano.

Another few notes, his hands moving closer...then further apart, drawing his arms wide and letting him arch his back, tilt his head backwards to sweep the angel blond hair out of his face. He did not open his eyes, he did not want to...he did not need to. The music was everything to him right now. It was everything, for it let him express what he felt...for it let him feel it all the more keenly...bathe in it, lose himself in it. Oh...oh this was better than physical pleasure...this was better than that sweet release...this was a thousand...nay, a million times sweeter, a million times purer, better, warmer. This was...perfection. Such perfection. A breath left his chest as he played, his head tilting to one side and downwards, his visage painted with bliss.

Would anyone understand...? Does anyone...need to? No...no, for this was so private, and yet he wanted to shout it out to the world, to give praise, to laugh and dance and...and do all those silly things he never thought he'd want to do. All those silly things...he would never do if it were not for this feeling, if it were not for this completion, this rightness, this...overwhelming...joy...No. No...they did not need to understand. They did not need to know, to feel, to see...they did not need to come close to this, and yet...if they could feel half...a quarter...a tenth...a millionth of this, they would be happy. Oh, how they would be happy. Such joy...such love, such wonder, such goodness - oh...if he were more immaterial, he knew that he would burst. Simply...burst into a million pieces of light, of energy, of magic.

Softly curved lips quirked in a smile and his grey eyes opened, looking to the notes that were imprinted in his mind just as this joy was imprinted in his heart, his soul. Yes...yes yes yes...this was magic. This was magic and it was...more powerful, more potent, more charming than any spell, potion, or hex. Oh, this was....this was....

He did not know how to explain it. He did not want to...he had no need to, for the one who did this to him, the one who made his soul cry out in pleasure knew...knew exactly what this felt like...and that...that was probably half of the magic right there. Loving so fiercely, so joyously, so unconditionally...and being loved like that in return. Half the magic, half the bliss, half the perfection - was feeling this beautiful creature feel it for him in return. Oh...yes, yes...this was the goal that Deity had in mind for all its souls. And he...and them...had reached it in this lifetime...and floated, floated in eternal happiness when together. Yes...yes, this was perfect...

Another soft breath, a broader smile...his eyes did not see, yet his hands kept playing, kept transferring that happiness into the notes, into the melody, making it flow, making it breathe...making it live a life of its own. With unfocused, happy eyes he turned his head towards the end of the room that was at his side and....he saw him. Standing there, leaning against the archway that led into their kitchen. Such a happy, bemused, knowing expression was playing with those emerald eyes, with those full lips in their angelic, lopsided smile...He wore an old, red sweater...a gift he had given him...and he wore those faded jeans, and white socks...wrist watch, most likely...and the silver chain and emerald pendant...another present, and perhaps the dearest one of all...He smiled in return and wound the melody down slowly, taking a breath as if it was his very first one, very last one...most important one of all...

His lover pushed off from the wall and walked towards him. Scooting away from the middle of the long piano seat, he smiled and patted the vacated spot, which was taken graciously, eagerly. Their fingers wound together, their eyes locked, caressed...made love with just one gaze. A breath from both, and bodies leaned close into a tender kiss, a warm nuzzle at the cheek, and a comfortable, gentle embrace. He gently caressed his fingers through black hair, felt that hair against his neck as his lover placed his head upon his shoulder. This was...oh...this was...mmm...He smelt cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg and ginger...a bit of eggnog...such sweet, sweet scents. Such a sweet, sweet season of peace, of love...and to have found this, to have felt this...to have...oh...oh, what words are there? What words, what verses? None...none.

They stayed together like that, watching the snow fall outside the tall windows just beyond the piano, blanketing the earth, blanketing the city...blanketing their feelings and making that joy last longer, longer...eternally. After a while, they shifted, but only to make themselves more comfortable...unconsciously moving so that they made things more comfortable for each other than for themselves...and thus finding the greatest comfort of all.

"Draco..." A delicate nuzzle, a warm kiss to a slender, white neck. A sigh...a happy sigh, as if they had just made love, or kissed passionately...though all they did was hold each other...and let their souls make love by simply...simply being together.

"Mmm?" he mumbled, nuzzling at that delicate, bushy hair that he had come to love, to adore so much. Was this Heaven...? Was this what Heaven would be like? If not...oh, if not, then he did not want to leave...for this was perfect, and no Heaven could be better...if Heaven did not have Harry...

"You played beautifully," Harry breathed in reply...and lightly nibbled upon Draco's neck, tasting that aromatic, delicious skin again.

"Thank you..." Once again he nuzzled at that hair, then smiled and kissed the top of his beloved's head, wrapping his second arm about him, holding him close to his side, one hand upon a shoulder, the other on the back. "It is because of you," he added drowsily, feeling sleepy, warm, cosy...

"What is?" Slightly curious, slightly confused...but happy. The voice was happy, the tone was gentle...as gentle as a feather, so gentle...as if anything harder would have broken him...or the everlasting yet fragile atmosphere between them.

"That I could play like that," Draco whispered, then smiled and touched slender fingers beneath Harry's chin, lifting it so that he could gaze within those deep, endless pools of molten emeralds that were his eyes. "Harry...my soul, my being aches with love for you...how could I express it in any other way?"

Harry smiled...a heart-shattering, beautifully angelic smile. And then he lifted his head and touched those lips to Draco's own in a warm, simple kiss that spoke volumes, that spoke whole...libraries of volumes. Draco let out a contented sigh and closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss, feeling fingers entwine in his hair, pull him closer. He leaned into Harry and stroked his fingers over that well toned back, over those shoulders...Oh...yes...yes...this was indeed Heaven, and he was kissing the highest, most beautiful angel of them all...

The kiss ended so simply...yet so beautifully...a smile, a shy, loving gaze. They sighed simultaneously and leaned into each other for another embrace, though they craved not any intimacy...for the intimacy of their souls sated them, made them whole...Draco could not keep himself from smiling, from holding Harry all that closer, all that more tightly.

"They're done," Harry murmured into his ear, kissing at the ear lobe lightly, lovingly. Draco almost purred and dipped his head, trailing his lips over Harry's neck in response.

"Who're they...?" he purred against Harry's skin and nibbled on it, kissed over it. A soft laugh bubbled up in that neck he was kissing and he smiled against the olive skin.

"Mmm...the cookies, Draco. They're done, you can go and nibble on some now if you like - though most are for the guests, don't forget." He had tilted his head to make access to his neck all the easier for Draco and was rewarded by a long kiss right beside his jaw. A soft moan escaped him and he pressed closer to Draco, then let out a sigh and smiled a little bit more. "We should tidy the place up a bit more...they will be here in an hour or so."

"I know," Draco's soft, honey-like voice replied. Smiling wistfully, he pulled away from Harry. They kissed lightly once more and Harry got up, stretching his arms out above his head and yawning widely. Even such a simple action was beautiful to Draco...even such a simple movement...it was natural, it was good...it was Harry. Letting out a contented sigh, he half-closed his eyes, floating in drowsy happiness, in warm peace. "Go on...I'll see to the living room," he added quietly, noticing how he did not crave physical togetherness...as long as Harry was there, safe, with him...in his - in their home. How sweet this Heaven was. The togetherness of the souls was all that he needed, all that he craved...and all that he received.

Harry smiled that heart-breaking smile again and nodded, stroking a hand along Draco's hair warmly, then stepping away and walking out into the kitchen. Before he disappeared into it, though, he stopped in mid-step and looked over his shoulder at Draco, his emerald eyes dancing with joy...and with love, with love...if love is the right word for it, for it is so much stronger, so much more passionate and pure than mere 'love'...After a smile and words that were spoken silently, in spirit...he disappeared to the kitchen. Draco let out a breath and mmed, then slowly started to gather up the notes from the piano. Movement outside the window caught his eye again and he looked up quietly, watching the fat, lazy flakes of snow fall, brushing against the pane of the windows.

Heaven...yes, yes...this was Heaven...this was all that he could ever have asked for - and could never have gotten with all the money in the world...if he hadn't opened his heart and learned the meaning of love.