Michael drained the last of his cup of coffee as he stood just outside impatiently, rubbing his arms in the cold. The strange night had taken a turn for the worse and he was nearing his last nerve.
-
After their train...flight, they'd followed Eric and Clyde to the Visitor's Center to meet up with Tom and his apparent fiancé, Lars. Normally meeting your son's significant other was a big deal, but that times'd by two, amplified by missed time and an estranged relationship? He had a headache. Lars, like Clyde, was quite charming and seemed very quick witted, with a sly sense of humor as he cracked a few jokes to break the ice. Apparently as one of the main proprietors of the resort, it made sense that he'd be a natural at meeting new people.
Tess had been her usual pushy self, insisting despite his repeated attempts at reason, to give Tom a proper medical evaluation. She was, of course, a nurse practitioner so he'd had to allow her that much. The entire time, Tom had sat in a chair, unmoving and stiff. In fact, he had been sitting in the chair when they'd entered, and he didn't get up to greet them, which Michael had found odd.
"What's wrong with your ears?" Tess had pressed immediately, the frantic look of concern returning to her tired expression.
Here she goes again. He'd rolled his eyes as Tom and Lars gave each other a look.
"Mom, there's something you should know about Lars," Tom began slowly, as Eric and Clyde watched with baited breath from the corner of the room looking worried. He nodded to Lars as the man lithely stepped into the center of the room and...shifted into a fox person with a flourish of his arms.
That had been a bit more to swallow, for them both. They'd seen the demonstration on the train, but it had been a lot and they were already pretty out of it from the frenzied trip. Michael didn't know if he quite got it, but if Tom was happy... Tess had given him a look but soon smiled politely and nodded. She clearly had questions. Things continued as Lars patiently endured her third degree, his tail flicking lightly behind him.
When Tom stood up, however, revealing a long white fox tail attached to him, swaying in a way that could only be real, the stress of the situation had clearly gotten the better of Theresa as she fainted. Michael gasped despite himself. There really wasn't quite anything like seeing your baby boy with a fucking animal tail.
Clyde and Lars, to their credit, sprung to action immediately without missing a beat. "Call the doctor! Now!" Clyde called out before rushing forward as Lars and Tom kneeled down to check her vitals. But it was Eric's absolute look of dismay as tears began to stream down his face that ate away at Michael the most as he was soon ushered out of the room.
-
Michael looked up as he heard quick muted footsteps and a rush of fabric. He looked up in time to see an anthropomorphic wolf approaching, naked except for a white doctor's coat and stethoscope. He, and Michael could tell he was a 'he' from the prominent sheath out in the open for all to see, was quite large and had beautiful white fur with grey tips. The wolf hesitated for a moment, his gorgeous golden eyes meeting Michael's before he cleared his throat. "Is she in there?" His gentle voice had a husky timbre to it that gave him goosebumps for some reason.
20 minutes or so later, the wolf returned as Michael sat on the floor against the wall, idly running his fingers over the plush carpet. "You can go back in now."
"Is she OK?" Michael asked as he started to get up. He wasn't out of shape by any means, but he was in his early fifties and he struggled a bit.
"She'll be fine. Stressed and sleep deprived. Just make sure she gets plenty of rest and fluids." The wolf held out a paw, which Michael took, feeling a bit shy for some reason, which made no sense.
"Thanks, Doctor...?"
"Otso." He replied with a warm smile.
"Michael Laine." He thought for a second. "Wait, doesn't that mean 'bear'? Aren't you a wolf?"
Otso had evidently been expecting that as he replied with a quick laugh, "My parents have a good sense of humor. Have a good evening." He winked and turned, walking away as Michael found himself staring at the wolf's tail.
----
"I can always ask Bix and Tag to go instead. I'm sure they'd be willing to swap events if you need to stay, you know, considering..." Rudy had pulled Eric aside after Practice with a worried expression only an older brother could give.
As Christmas Season really began to ramp up, Eric had learned that their duties expanded past the big Flight on Christmas Eve. Santa liked to make appearances around the globe--a catalyst to the oh so precious Christmas Spirit. Days ago, Eric and Clyde had jumped at the opportunity to go with Santa to the New York Thanksgiving Parade--the 'Official' Kick-off to Christmas in the United States of America. They'd only need a skeleton crew--just Santa, a couple of his Executive Elves, and 2 Reindeer as transport. This would be a great chance to practice long distance flying, but more importantly, he wanted to share some of his old culture with Clyde.
"I still want to go." He said with determination, trying to convince the older reindeer. "Besides. We'll only be gone for a day or so and my parents still need time to...acclimate. I'd only get in the way right now and..." seeing his mom's reaction to Tom's TAIL had hurt too much "...this is important to Santa so it's important to me. Tom's got this for now."
Rudy clearly saw right though that but he nodded, much to Eric's relief. They hugged as Rudy returned to his notes and Eric left the training facility. Instead of heading home, however, he soon found himself knocking on Bix's door.
"How many times have I told you, Poikani, you don't need to knock!" Bix laughed from the couch where he reclined with an ice pack on his knee.
"Sorry..." Eric scratched his head at the base of his antler. "Isä, can I ask you a question?"
----
The flight had been surprisingly manageable, Eric found with a satisfaction as they flew following the Hudson River. He'd expected to be completely winded as they approached the Big Apple, but Rudy's bootcamp was clearly yielding its desired results. They flew under the cover of night, not that it was really necessary, Martin the Elf had explained. All of Santa's sleighs were equipped with a magical cloaking device to allow them to fly unimpeded. They'd have to be careful of airplanes and birds still, but no one would be able to see them. No one, that is, except for children or those who truly believed in Santa.
Eric nearly gasped as the city came into view, the buildings stretching into the sky, their lights shining brightly in the cold night. A gentle snow had begun to fall and the view was magnificent. The aerial views he'd seen in movies didn't even come close to doing it justice. He heard Clyde's chuckle to his left, though didn't chance looking over.
"Meet back here in exactly 48 hours. Make it 46. Absolutely no exceptions. Here is your stipend, don't spend it all in one place. Have fun, but be careful you two." Humphrey handed them each a small envelope with what was likely a credit card and hotel key. "If you need to get in contact with me at any time, just start singing Jingle Bells and I'll find you. Do NOT leave Manhattan." The wizened elf's piercing glare gave his instructions a solid double underline as Eric and Clyde adjusted their form lock bracelets before grinning at each other.
Now that they'd arrived, their job was done for the time being and they had time to themselves. Santa's float had fake reindeer, and they wouldn't be in the parade. Clyde had explained that the amount of Christmas Spirit generated at this event had an explosive effect on their power of flight, and they couldn't risk it with all of the cameras and literally millions of people watching. "Wouldn't seeing us generate even more Christmas Spirit though?" Eric had asked genuinely, to which Clyde only laughed as though the answer was obvious.
"Why are we here for 48 hours, though? Isn't the parade just today?" Eric asked as they walked towards the city, shoulder to shoulder.
"Santa likes to check in on the United Nations while he's in town. Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." Clyde shrugged. "And while we're not visible, we generate a lot of energy during the Flight and it might set off alarms. He's been dealing with the governments of the world for centuries."
-
They spent the day together soaking up the atmosphere. Eric was amused by how foreign human culture was already beginning to feel to him--an old life that he'd never return to again. Sure, East Coast and West Coast Culture were completely different as it was, but the feeling persisted. They found a good spot to sit and watch the parade together as Eric explained what each of the giant balloons meant. When Santa's float came by, as the Jolly Man hammed it up playing to the rafters, Eric felt a surge of energy unlike anything he'd ever experienced and was certain he'd have reverted instantly if not for the bracelet on his arm, which began to grow hot against his skin. Clyde was clearly feeling the same thing as they vibrated against each other, dizzy with glee.
The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets of New York. While Clyde had been to New York before--he'd been on Santa's Team for 4 years now--he'd never had the opportunity to really see its sights. Eric had likewise only been once before, under much different circumstances, but they were enjoying their time together. Throughout the day, though, Eric's heart was beating in his chest nervously as he looked forward to that night. He was thankful Clyde's human senses were dulled and distracted by the location, for otherwise he was sure he'd have caught on immediately.
Eric had wanted to try eating at a steakhouse again, but as they approached the smells made him feel nauseous, even in human form. They settled on pizza; Clyde struggling to hold the massive piece as Eric laughed jovially. "You're supposed to fold it in half, you spaz." For dinner they chanced sushi, which Clyde found to be interestingly palatable, and Eric was relieved he still enjoyed it in his human form.
As night fell, Eric finally led Clyde towards 30 Rock as the Reindeer Human gasped in wonder, gazing up at the giant brilliantly lit tree. As far North as they lived, the vegetation wasn't nearly as robust as in the forests to the South. Santa's Village's decorations set a standard no one could ever hope to come even close to matching, but a natural friend to the environment, even they didn't have a tree quite this size as they weren't willing to relocate one just to watch it die. He'd seen previous incarnations from the air, but never from this angle before, or this close. Eric giggled as he pulled Clyde towards the nearby ice rink, pulling Clyde out of his stupor.
-
A couple of hours later, they stood once again in the plaza near the base of the tree holding hands. It was time. Eric took a deep breath and turned to the love of his life. "Clyde, over the past couple of weeks, you have been the most wonderful, sweet, caring, most generous person I have ever met. And don't even get me started on how fucking sexy you are. I honestly don't know what I did to be so lucky." His words caught in his throat as he started to choke back tears. "You've literally changed my life for the better, and I can't even fathom the thought of not spending the rest of my life with you." He dropped to a knee as Clyde looked down in confused shock with an adorable, reindeer-like snort while he fumbled in his pockets, pulling out a velvet black box. "Clyde, will you make me the happiest Reindeer in the whole world? Menetkö naimisiin kanssani?"
Clyde's eyes sparkled, tears running down his face as he stood there, verklempt. He recovered quickly, though, and soon pulled Eric up into a sloppy kiss. "Yes, Sielunkumppani! Of course I will. Yes!" They held each other for a while, drunk on the emotion of the moment before they realized there was a smattering of applause around them. Apparently they'd made quite the scene, and Eric thought he heard someone comment on the unusually sized box he had pulled out.
"That's not a ring, is it? Must be a foreign thing."
Clyde kissed Eric again, their human foreheads resting against each other in an approximation of their reindeer selves. "I was going to ask you when we got back, but it looks like you beat me to it, Söpö." He grinned coyly, "I wonder how good the bed in the hotel is, ei?"