happy shlavidays!

for @shlavidays, day 2

“do you have any holidays on your planet?” shiro asks one night as they curl up on the floor of the bridge, snuggling to keep warm as the metal flooring saps their body heat from under them.

“thousands among different cultures and religions,” slav answers, staring out the massive window before them. the stars surrounding the ship glitter like little lights, and shiro can almost imagine that he’s home again.

“you don’t strike me as a religious man,” shiro says. “since you’re always going on about science.”

“oh, i’m not.” slav barks out a short chuckle. “but in many realities, i am. it’s important to keep in mind those possibilities when paying my respects during the holiday season.”

“how do you celebrate?”

slav snuggles closer to shiro, shivering in the cold. “in my country, there’s a festival at the end of the year where we celebrate the future generations. we theorize about the contributions they’ll make and the technological advancements that we will see in our lifetime, and we give presents to expecting parents.”

shiro hums. “that sounds like something you would enjoy.” he feels slav nod against his chest.

“it’s like predicting alternate realities, but it is instead in this reality. one hundred percent of my predictions have been correct.” he sounds proud of himself, and shiro smiles in spite of himself.

“then what are your predictions for next year?” shiro asks, forcing down the worry that rises in his gut.

slav is quiet for a moment, thinking hard about his response. “zarkon and haggar will be a nuisance for us, and they will have new weapons to use against us. as for lotor…”

shiro brings his arm around slav and presses a finger against slav’s beak. “sh, we’ll have plenty of time for doomsday predictions later. what about the good things?”

“oh,” slav says, going quiet. “hm.”

“can you not think of anything?” shiro asks, and he feels his blood run cold as his stomach drops.

but slav just nuzzles his head into shiro, curling in closer. “there is a ninety-five percent chance that despite the atrocities that face us in the coming year, we will be happy.”

as shiro processes that, a weight lifts off his shoulders and he is lighter than he has been in a while. “i like that,” he says succinctly.

shlavidays day one: light

a soft shlav aesthetic for the holidays!

for @shlavidays, day 1

“keep your eyes closed,” shiro instructs as he tugs on slav’s hand, pulling him further uphill. the snow crunching under their boots creates a steady rhythm around them as shiro leads slav across a field, getting closer and closer with each footprint in the four-inch snowy path.

“i never opened them,” slav grumbles, rubbing a gloved hand down his face. shiro glances back at his boyfriend and smiles as he notices the crooked glasses peeking out from under a massive scarf enveloping his head. he slows for just a moment and reaches back to straighten them, but slav half-heartedly slaps his hand away, fixing them himself.

shiro laughs and rolls his eyes before continuing on at top speed, practically dragging slav across the field. it’s literally an uphill battle against the snow already on the ground and the snow falling down around them, slowing them down. the streetlights lining the path create a deep contrast between the bright white of the snow and the dark shadows around it. shiro pulls his own scarf more tightly around him against the chill of the early evening.

“where are we even going?” slav asks, annoyance laced in his words.

“you’ll see!” shiro bites back, answering the question for the seventh time.

“if the snow gets much deeper there’s a large chance that we’ll trip and be buried under it and die,” slav says, but his eyes remain closed, trusting shiro not to fall.

“i’ll keep us safe,” shiro says, his tone softening.

“i know.”

“we’re almost there anyway,” he says, turning back to the path. there’s a flush to his cheeks, but shiro decides to blame it on the cold.

and then they reach the top of the hill, their destination unfurling before them. shiro sucks in a breath and pulls slav once more so that he’s nestled inside his arms, shiro wrapping his hand around his shoulder and squeezing him tightly.

“okay, look.”

slav peeks open an eye and goes completely still, looking at the scene before them.

lights are strung from trees and buildings in an intricate display, bright colors mixing with traditional whites as they criss-cross in ornate patterns that line the residential street. every tree is lit up in red and blue and green, illuminating the snow that rests on their branches. little snowmen line the street like winter soldiers prepared for battle, but even they have lights adorning their necks and arms, tiny twinkling strings blinking in the night. the song “winter wonderland” comes to shiro’s mind as he gazes around, but perhaps it’s not quite right.

“shiro…” slav says, breaking him from his reverie.

he looks down at slav and smiles. “i found this place one day while i was shopping. apparently they do this every year. i thought you might like to see it.”

shiro feels an arm snake around his back and hug him tightly. slav is quiet for a moment, and shiro is content to just watch as he looks around, his dark curls bouncing around under his knit hat.

“at any moment these lights could burst and catch the houses on fire,” slav announces finally, but he’s still relaxed into shiro’s side even though his fingers drum along his thigh.

shiro hums in acknowledgement. “but they won’t.”

“in several realities they do,” slav points out.

“those realities aren’t this one,” shiro counters almost immediately. he leans down and presses a kiss onto slav’s forehead. “we’re safe.”

slav looks up at shiro and watches him for a few moments, searching for something in his eyes. then he pushes up onto the balls of his feet and kisses shiro’s lips gently, pulling away with a soft smile.