Milo/Mc/Mal Vacation

A/N: This is one of the stories that was commissioned for the month of December. The prompt was a cozy harbor tale with the poly.

A chilled wind swept across the shore, kicking up swirling bits of ice as it peeled from the frozen ground beneath. The sky was overcast, looking a shade brighter with the stark white clouds that were covering the moon and stars. The light reflected off the frozen harbor, casting the world in an icy glow.

It never ceased to amaze me how much I did not know about my world. I was sure somewhere, in the dark recesses of my mind, I was aware of a district like this. But as we had walked out towards the frozen port town, I couldn’t for the life of me remember when this district had come to pass.

The ocean had frozen. Some said overnight. Others said that it was a slow process of solidification over the course of several moons. None of it mattered, however. Large boats, carrying goods and passengers, had gotten caught in the mess of it all. Some had made it to the rickety docks and could unload their cargo. Others were stuck out at sea, left contemplating if they wanted to risk carrying large crates across patchy ice. Ocean waves splashed up against their boat in a frozen wall, anchoring the vessel to its spot until a warm wind thawed the ice. Yet, no one seemed upset by this development. In fact, the docks were decorated with greenery. Large lanterns were hung with flickering warm flames, and several spots had been set up where large hearths had been moved in and wood glowed happily within the stone enclosure.

I looked at Malcolm and Milo. Neither of them were surprised by what they saw and instead wore excitable delight upon their expressions. Milo, more so than Malcolm, that is. 

A man walked by us, a fishing pole strung over one shoulder and a line of frozen fish trailing behind him. “What exactly am I seeing here?” I finally asked.

Milo laughed loudly, clearly giddy at being able to show me something new. “The Frozen Harbor, official name pending.”

“That tells him nothing,” Malcolm added.

We began walking across crunching ice, the soft crackling simply a backdrop to the entire district. “Once a year, a big freeze comes through. It stops all production. This harbor is normally the place where the transport ships come in and out. Carrying all our imported and exported goods. Most likely some contraband. And I’m really hopeful there’s a pirate or two.”

I frowned. “Where are they transporting goods to? I don’t think there’s a door out there.” And as far as I knew, there wasn’t supposed to be a way in or out of the market without the Gatekeepers approval.

Milo frowned. “Uh–”

“The Deep’s passages operate without doors,” Malcolm supplied. “They do not connect to every realm out there but quite a few. These ships use them to navigate the waters and sail between ports. It's what keeps trade open.”

“Then why the hell do we even have doors?” Milo protested. 

“Because people frequently die in the Deep passages. It’s not exactly a safe mode of transportation.”

Milo clicked his mouth shut. “Never mind. We love doors. Doors are good.”

“Anyway,” Malcolm rolled his eyes, turning to me. “The freeze hits and it stops all transport. Sometimes the freeze lasts for a few days. Other times it last an entire moon. And since most of the people manning these ships also live on them, they have made it into a sort of event every year.”

I looked around. Just because they couldn’t go anywhere, didn’t mean they were sitting idly by. I saw several people placing chairs out on the ice, cracking open a small hole down into the ocean below and casting fishing line. There was another section, off to the right, where children were sledding, ramming into the side of a broken boat and using the space they created as some sort of tunnel they could slide through.  Other areas had fish roasting open an open flame, while little tables had been set up offering warm drinks. It was cozy, in a strange, open waters kind of way.

“That one's ours,” I heard Milo say.

They both turned me towards a smaller boat, not too far off the original shore line. Strings of lights were wrapped around the deck railing, their glow creating little puddles of light upon the ice.  There was a wrap around deck where I was sure the fishers walked back and forth and what looked like a small cabin built in the middle. It was barely any bigger than my kitchen back home but it did provide a beautiful glow that made me warm just looking at it.

Malcolm held out his hand, helping me up the icy plank, while Milo climbed up the side, simply because he could, and started gathering wood for an open fire.

I looked around. From our position on the deck, I had a good view of the festivities. The icy expanse was alive with laughter, a sharp wind, and warm pockets of amber glow.  “Ours?” I asked, turning to both my men inquisitively. Milo already had the start of a good flame.

“We thought,” Malcolm began, taking my hand and brushing his lips across my knuckles. “That we could get away for a bit.”

“Life has been a series of shit storms,” Milo added helpfully, “so we thought it would be kind of fun to not do that. The shit storm, that is.”

“What he means to say is that we thought it would be nice to have a vacation somewhere.” Leading me over to a soft seating area, Malcolm tugged me down with him, placing a large fur over our laps. Milo was currently stomping his feet back and forth as he tended to the fire, trying to stay warm until it blazed true. “Here we can just be us,” Malcolm continued. “Not the Gatekeepers. Not the Night Market. But Milo, Malcolm, and Luke. That’s it.”

I felt something inside me unfurl. I hadn’t realized how much I actually wanted that until this very moment. But by the gods did it feel like something that I had been desperately craving.

“We have this boat for three days,” Milo said, shouting a bit in triumph as the blaze took hold. Quickly, he rushed to the two of us, worming his way beneath the furs. We all were forced to adjust, leaving me leaning against Malcolm, and Milo stretched out with his head in my lap.

“Button, you are on fire duty. Do not get comfortable.”

Milo waved Malcolm off, nuzzling his face into my side instead. “Have you ever gone ice fishing?” he asked.

“Can’t say I have.” I was laughing a bit, the cold of Milo’s nose working its way beneath my shirt to get to my skin. It tickled, causing me to squirm against Malcolm.

“Mal is terrible at it. But it’s really fun to watch.”

“I am not terrible,” Malcolm rumbled. “The fish just don’t bite for me.”

I leaned against him, smiling a bit. “That’s a good excuse.”  He poked me a bit in the side, but I could see the smile on his face. “So, this is all ours then. Really?”

Milo was finally sitting up, apparently lying strangely against me, not working for him. “Yeah.” He paused. “Do you… do you like it? Is it okay?” I could see the way he was nervously glancing at Malcolm. Like he was certain he had done something wrong.

“No. Oh, Milo. I love it.” I told him, pulling him close. Malcolm reached across too, putting a reassuring hand on Milo’s knee. “I just,” I huffed out a laugh. “I’ve never actually gone away with anyone before.”

Milo’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Oh, that’s– oh.”

“Elegant,” Malcolm laughed. Turning my face towards his, Malcolm leaned forward, brushing a chilly kiss across my lips. “It’s high time you enjoy this world, Lamplight. And all the trappings of it. We can show you so many things, if you would let us.”

“Spoil you rotten,” Milo agreed.

I couldn’t help but feel the heat rise to my cheeks. The way they two of them were looking at me, how they wanted to take care of my every whim, it sent a bolt of warmth through me.

“I’d like that,” I told them softly.

“Perfect!” Milo jumped up. “Then Malcolm will have to fish for our dinner while I ravage you on this very bench.”

“No,” Malcolm told him sternly.

“Aw, come on. Luke’s looking cold.” He was kneeling in front of me now. I knew he wouldn’t do anything out in the open. Or at least I hoped. But the look he had on his face, and the way he kept waggling his brows, sent a nervous little jolt through me. How far would Milo really go? And how far would I let him. “Come on, Mal. By the time you go and attempt to fish, I’ll have him all warm and snug and then you can cook for us like the good house husband you are and–”

Malcolm shoved him away with his foot, sending Milo to land on his butt. “You’re the house husband this week. Not me.”

I looked at Malcolm with a bit of a wince. “We’ll die out here if that’s the case.”

“Hey!”

The fire roared brightly on the deck, the icicles hanging from the ships roof beginning to melt. There were a few fishers taking up spots near our boat, and a small cook pot being set up below. Beyond that, I could see a few people repairing their fish nets, while others sat and talking jovially around an icy flame.

And with both my men by my side, I felt myself fall into a contentedness that I had not known for a long while.

“If I like it,” I mused, “out here I mean, do you think we could stay for longer?”

Milo looked pleased at the idea, simply because he had done something right in my eyes. And next to me, Malcolm curled me close, content to just watch the fire while I lounged in his arms.

“We’ll stay as long as you want,” he told me.

“Forever,” Milo grinned.

I was tempted to take them up on that offer.