the kiss was, once again, over far too soon for his liking.    ‘ unwrap you? at least for that gift, i can return the favor while you are giving it. ’

pretending as though he had no idea what was so funny about the little hat on his head, namor shrugged, feigning ignorance — though he did notice the brief glance to his neck. the jagged scar was hard not to gawk at, but it wasn’t like namor was embarrassed of it or put in any effort to hide it, anyway. it didn’t look like jim found it ugly or repulsive and that’s all that mattered to him.

‘ i’d have expected nothing else, seeing as cannot cook you anything myself that hasn’t come from the sea. ’   they did have plenty of variety up here, even if namor was more than dissatisfied with how seafood was prepared by human chefs.

“You can unwrap me later. First food. Little bit of turkey, stuffing, some other veggies I thought seemed nice,” he explained as he rose from his seat and headed off into the kitchen. Frankly, it was far more food than either of them could polish off in one day--mainly Namor--but that was kind of the point of holidays from his understanding.

Pausing at the entrance to the kitchen, he nodded for Namor to follow along. Most of the food was already spread out, aside from the turkey that was resting in the oven. Jim grabbed two plates and placed them on the counter before opening the oven and pulling out the hot pan that held the turkey like it was nothing and setting it on the stove.

            namor wasn’t exactly sure what possessed him not to immediately shove away the annoyingly festive cap off his head, but he decided to let it stay up there at least for a little while and barely touched it.

‘ tsk. another? ’   he asked in a tone that made it seem as if it was the last thing he wanted to do, pretending as if he was doing some deep thinking over the suggestion.   ‘ perhaps next year, firebug. ’

still, it was an offer. not something that would make him back off yet, but he’d take his time in thinking of a nice gift, especially since he wasn’t particularly skilled in the crafting department ( he hadn’t tried his hand in sculpting in decades, and didn’t think jim’d like seeing his face on another bust or statue. whatever, he’d think of something ). meanwhile, he was content to lean in and give the other man another kiss – one a tad longer than the last – and placed a hand on his cheek.

He mouthed along with what Namor was saying, silently mocking his complaint since there was no harm in it. When the talking stopped, he crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his tongue out at him.

His sulking only lasted as long as it took Namor to give in and give him the kiss he asked for; when he did Jim uncrossed his arms to place on hand on Namor’s hip as he leaned into the kiss. However, he wasn’t looking for much more than that so he eventually pulled back. Gaze looking up toward the hat still on Namor’s head, he chuckled. It was going to look ridiculous no matter what, but the size somehow made it worse.

           an acquired taste indeed, much like most atlantean food and the way it was prepared — not like namor expected to like sweets when his mother sent him up on land to wage war, anyway. or bagels. or even pizza. surface food was still weird.

he opened the second box, taking the bottle out as if to better inspect it. as far as his diminished appetite was concerned, at least his craving for wine hadn’t waned. all three gifts were immensely appreciated, and namor proved that with the brief kiss placed on jim’s lips after he’d set the bottle on the coffee table.

‘ thank you. but i did not get you anything. ’    not that he ever did; it wasn’t a holiday he celebrated, but he had the full intention of returning the favor whether jim wanted him to, or not.

He scoffed and shook his head. Last thing he was expecting was a gift from Namor. It was just that Jim was the caring sort, who couldn’t in good consciousness let the day pass without getting something for the most important people in his life. Even if Niels seemed a lot more content without the hat on his head.

Still, he knew Namor well enough to know that he wouldn’t let the idea go. Jim tapped his chin thoughtfully as he tried to figure out what it was he wanted. “How about...,” he started, still thinking it over. Finally dropping his hand back to his lap, he smirked. “How about you give me another kiss and we call it even?”

               Ali gently took the box and sized it up. “ I feel bad, Jim. I didn’t get you anything. Give me twenty minutes and a trip to the shopping district. “ She began to unwrap the paper and reveal the gift.

★— Steve was a man with a very SPECIFIC vision in mind – when it came to decoration, he was usually the go-to person, particularly considering sculpture and aesthetics. He may have not have been the most FASHIONABLE of the bunch, but he did have an eye for art – and that hat usually provided him with the edge as far as these sorts were concerned. 

            But this – was just ODD. 

              ❛ Now Jim, there ain’t no mistakin’ you have a fondness for creatures of the ocean but– do you REALLY think they belong on a tree? Doesn’t that look – a little out of PLACE? ❜

            He was trying to be tactful, but at that point his expression was a SURE giveaway. 

“Namor and I thought they would liven up your holidays since neither of us are the Christmas sort but really liked these sexy mermen ornaments.”

They also liked messing with Steve every chance they got, but that went without saying.