Mates of a Human

A Little Holiday Extra. Alex.

The night air was crisp, if one listened close enough they might even hear the crackling as dew turned to frost beneath the bright moonlight in an otherwise clear sky. My breath spilled from my lips like smoke as it also froze to mist after escaping the warmth of my lungs. I could feel the cold seeping through the tiny gaps in my woollen gloves to tease my skin and steal what little heat remained from my hands and my exposed face had already begun to turn numb. It only remained a matter of time before I felt the low temperatures through the multiple layers I protected the rest of my body with.

As if hearing my internal complaints, two arms wrapped around me and a wall of warmth blanketed my back. I nestled against the chest that somehow still felt hard and strong despite the cloth separating him from me. Well, I suppose the fact that he was wearing a classic overcoat rather than a thick padded one like mine was a factor in achieving this.

"Are they all still asleep?" I asked, my mind wandering from the distraction that was him to the three little ones we'd not long placed down in their cots for a rest. I would like to think that they might sleep through the night, but I also knew that that was unlikely to happen. Especially, not on this night.

"Tobias was stirred a little, you know he always misses you the most when you leave his room."

The corners of my lips curved upward as my heart bloomed with the warmth one could only experience when exposed to such pure and unconditional love. My little boy and his two adorable sisters, shared such with me each and everyday, sweeping away the exhaustion, the woes, the endless rounds of bottle preparation and nappy changing with their clear hazel eyes and bright smiles. My daily life is tiring but somehow amazingly rewarding at the same time.

And when the winter sun sets beyond the horizon and their two fathers arrive home from their busy careers, it will soon be my turn for a little pampering and indulgence, even if that just happens to be a hot shower as Michael reads them a bed time story or a delicious meal after Eric commandeers the kitchen. Of course, with two very virile men as my husbands, their affections will generally lead to a physical expression of love in between the cotton sheets of our bed once all three children were fast asleep, exhausting me all over again, but in the most pleasurable of ways.

I couldn't help but lift my hand to stifle a yawn. By some miracle, Michael had managed to get a couple of days off over the new year, though he worked hard Christmas and Boxing Day nights in order to achieve this. As a doctor, he often had to work the so called unsociable hours after all. People don't stop falling ill just because it happens to be the holidays.  Of course all of this meant that he had more energy in which to help toss me around in bed until late alongside Eric, who never refuses a night filled with lovemaking.

This schedule, while not ideal, did mean that Michael was able to see the little ones open their presents for the first time.  I felt my smile return as I lost myself to the memory as they stared wide eyed at the neatly wrapped packages lined up in brightly coloured paper. I had helped a little, wrapping the presents with fabric ribbons, but Michael had done most of the work the night before. The joy on his face emanated from every pore, as he spent several hours carefully wrapping the children's gifts the night before. However, in retrospect, I should have listened to Eric; the ribbons were not my best idea.

Little tiger cubs could be as playful as kittens and the ribbon caught their eyes immediately. Actually, it was the first time the girls' eyes had ever changed from their usual hazel-green to a vivid amber gold. Their inner tigers had roused in a most obvious fashion. After the ribbons were torn off and Charlotte crawled away with one in her mouth, her little sister hot on her ankles wanting to pounce, but not quite able to (they did only have a ten month old child's strength after all), Michael held our son in his lap and showed him how to 'tear' the paper from the presents. Basically, he tore a piece and let Tobias tug it until it was ripped clean away.