EXTRA

Honeymoon extra wherein Alex and Jaden travel to another country because Jaden missed travelling. Important note at the end.

2076

The honeymoon destination had been all Jaden's idea. Alex hadn't had much say in where they went and what they did, but he found that he didn't mind so much. Jaden was the one who'd travelled a lot, he'd know the good places to go. Alex hadn't gone travelling in years and even then it had mostly been for business than leisure.

Alex had paid for most of it, but Jaden had been the one to organise everything, which meant it couldn't be a surprise for either of them. But it didn't matter, they would still have a good time. They weren't going to go anywhere busy, that had been a given from the start. Both of them preferred the peaceful quiet of nature.

Jaden had found them a holiday cabin so far north that if they were lucky, they would be able to see the Northern Lights. In all the years of his long life, Alexander had never seen them. As soon as he'd told Jaden that, he'd know where they would be going.

Getting there had taken a long time. Two planes ride and a long drive in a hire car with a GPS that didn't want to cooperate, but by the time the sun had set on the snowy landscape two days since they left, they arrived. Jet lagged and numb from the long and cold car ride, it didn't take them long to get inside, turn on the power and heat, and collapse into bed together.

Alex woke up with the sun and groaned loudly. All he wanted to do was sleep the day away, but the jet lag had to ruin it for him. He was surprised he'd even been able to get to sleep the night before, but travelling usually took a lot out of him. Next to him, the bed was cold and empty. Jaden was already awake and had been for a while.

Alexander stumbled from the comfortable bed and shivered at the cold touch of the floorboards. The smell of hot food drifted from the kitchen and with a grin, Alex made his way to where his partner stood.

The cabin was small but cosy. The walls were made from wood panels and stone, while the floor was covered in thick rugs. A couch filled with small cushions sat in front of a lit fireplace, a television sitting on the wall above it. Opposite all of that was the tiny kitchen, where Jaden stood, panicking at the stove as he attempted to fry eggs.

"I thought you were a good cook?" Alex said with a laugh.

Jaden glared at him over his shoulder. "I'm a decent cook! This is just a different stove than I'm used to," he replied.

"Sure, sure. Excuses," Alex said, grinning at him and moved to wrap his arms around his back. "I'm cold." He shifted closer and pressed a kiss to the back of Jaden's neck. The other man hummed in response and pressed back against him.

"Grab some blankets and warm up in front of the fire. I'll bring the food over when it's ready," he said, but Alex didn't want to move, not yet. Even though the floor was cold and the fire called to him, being with Jaden was comfortable and he didn't want to move.

Sometimes he dreamed that it was all a lie, that Jaden never existed in the first place or had died in the car accident. Those dreams felt so real that it sometimes surprised him when he woke up. He'd waited so long, but if the universe decided to take it all away from him, he wouldn't be surprised, just heartbroken.

The fact that he even had a soulmate and had been able to do his Ceremony sometimes shocked him into silence. It wasn't all that long ago that he'd believed he would never have one. Jaden being with him was something he had only dreamed of and discarded as a pointless fantasy. But in the end, it had come true.

He leaned his head against Jaden's back and sighed. "You alright?" Jaden asked in a soft voice.

Alex hummed. "Nightmares," he whispered.

"Again?"

"Yeah, but I'm alright," he said and shrugged. "You're alright."

Jaden turned off the stove and turned around to press a kiss to Alex's lips. "I'm okay, see?" he replied and smiled at him. "Go get the blankets while I sort this out. We can watch movies until we pass out."

Alexander laughed and finally pulled away from his partner. He grabbed the blankets off the bed and made a little nest among the cushions on the couch, leaving enough space for Jaden when he decided to join. He sighed at the warmth the fireplace emitted and snuggled further into the soft blankets.

"Okay, I know I said we could lie around until we passed out, but I expected you to last more than five minutes," Jaden said with a laugh. Alex opened his eyes and glared at him. He hadn't even realised he'd been drifting off. He hadn't felt that tired. With a tired grumble, he shifted so that Jaden could sit next to him and grabbed the plate of bacon and eggs that had been offered to him.

Jaden dropped down next to him with a grunt and pulled the blankets around them. Alex leaned his head against his shoulder and sighed. "What do you want to watch?" he asked. They hadn't brought any movies with them, but it would be hard to get one of the streaming services up. They had internet in the tiny cabin.

"I don't mind, just chuck something on," Jaden replied with a mouth full of food. Alex clicked on the first movie he saw and settled in the comfortable nest of blankets and cushions that he had made. They probably should have been admiring the landscape around them, but they were too tired. The hiking and everything else they had planned could wait. They had three weeks to do everything, after all.

They finished their food quickly and snuggled up together, eventually sprawling out so that they took up most of the large couch. Alexander didn't pay much attention to the movie, focusing mostly on the feeling of Jaden lying against his chest. He ran his hands through his soulmates hair and smiled at the hum he let out.

He was able to get through one movie and half a second before he drifted off. Even though he'd slept most of the night, he was still exhausted. It would only take him a day or two to get used to the new timezone, then he could continue with what he had planned. That was if Jaden recovered as quickly as him.

His sleep was peaceful. He didn't remember any of his dreams, much to his relief. All he knew was that he was warm and safe and with the person he loved more than anything. He had no idea how much time had passed since he'd fallen asleep, but the sun had set and the room was shrouded in darkness.

Jaden let out soft snores against his chest, his cheek smeared with drool. Alexander held back a laugh at the gross sight and relaxed against the couch again. The TV was off and he had no idea if it was because Jaden had switched it off or if they'd been asleep so long that it had done it automatically.

As gently as he could he ran his hands through his soulmate's hair. He stirred but didn't wake up, leaving Alex to lie in the darkness with a smile on his face. There was something soothing about it, the silence, the warmth and the feeling of his soulmate next to him. He closed his eyes again even though he was wide awake.

He had no idea how much time passed before Jaden let out a grumbled and stirred against him. Alex froze and opened his eyes, smiling sheepishly when Jaden looked at him. "What time is it?" he muttered and yawned.

"I have no idea," Alex replied and huffed out a laugh.

Jaden hummed. "Do you think the skies are clear?"

"Again, I have no idea. I haven't moved since breakfast."

The other man blinked at him for a second before looking down at what he lay on. "Oh," he said and moved to sit up, but Alex pulled him back down. "I guess I'm staying here then."

Alex hummed but didn't say anything. If Jaden moved, he would be cold. But if they got up and the skies were clear, there were so many things they would be able to see. He yawned but didn't stop running his hands through Jaden's hair. If they got up, maybe he would be able to tire himself out enough to get back to sleep.

"I take it back, we're getting up," he said and sighed. "I want to see outside." Jaden sat up with an irritated huff and Alex gasped at how cold it was without him.

"We're bringing the blankets," Jaden said, shivering as he stood. Alex followed after him but left the blankets behind. They weren't properly dressed for going out in the snow, hell, he didn't even have socks on. Getting changed was a cold affair and as soon as he could, he grabbed the blankets from the couch and wrapped them around him.

Jaden gave him an unimpressed look. "Hey, burrito, what about me?" he asked. With a roll of his eyes, Alex shifted to give him room and together they shuffled from the cabin. Alex slipped on the corner of the blanket and bumped into the wall, causing Jaden to burst out laughing.

"Shush," he said and clamped his hand over the other man's lips. "Don't laugh at me, I'm tired."

"It's my job to laugh at you," Jaden replied as he opened the door. They both shivered at the freezing wind that blew in through the doorway and pulled the blankets tighter around them. None of the snow had reached the porch, but it was a close thing. He may have to shovel it away in the morning.

Beyond the porch, snow covered everything. In the dark of the night, he could see the vague shadows of the firs in the distance. The moon cast a faint light on the bright snow. More of it had fallen while they'd been sleeping, covering their hire car in a thin layer.

A porch swing sat off to the side and Jaden dragged him over to it. He landed with a grunt and pulled him down, the blanket a tangled mess around them. "Why did you even want to come out here," Jaden asked. "It's freezing."

Alex pointed at the sky, which was clear of clouds. "I was hoping we could see it," he said, but all he could see were stars. There were so many of them, more than he had ever seen. And in the middle of them all, was the milky way, a bright streak against the darkness. It was beautiful, but he still wanted to see the lights.

Jaden hummed and dropped his head onto his shoulder. "Maybe tomorrow night. I don't know when they're supposed to come out," he replied in a soft voice. Alex turned to kiss the top of his head and leaned back to stare at the stars.

It was almost as if they had heard him. A second after he looked up they appeared in bright streaks of green and blue and red, dancing among the stars like a gymnasts ribbons. Alex gasped and nudged his partner, sitting straighter to get a better look at them. They rippled and twirled above him and Alex sat with his mouth agape.

"Wow," Jaden muttered and Alex couldn't help but agree. It was all he could think as his gaze moved over the dancing lights. In all of his long years, he had never could have imagined something so majestic, something that could captivate him so thoroughly. And yet, over a hundred years old, he was faced with not one, but two things.

He pulled his soulmate closer and ignored the twinge in his neck from the angle. He was freezing, but it didn't matter. The sky was a beautiful array of whirling colours, uncaring of the audience they danced for. He would come out and watch the lights every night he could. He'd never grow sick of the sight.

They'd only been there one night but he was already sure that the lights would be the best thing about his honeymoon. They had hikes and tours and all sorts of things planned, but nothing would beat the beauty of the sky at night.

Finally, he pulled his eyes away from the sky to look at Jaden, who was still focused on the dancing lights. He smiled and pressed a kiss to his temple. It would take a long time for him to get used to the fact that he was there, alive and healthy, but he loved him and he was so happy to have him in his life.

He settled back against the porch swing, still smiling sweetly. They would need to sleep soon, they had a busy three weeks ahead of them. But for now, they could relax against each other and watch the stars twinkle against the blackness and the rainbow of the lights.

A.N: I hope you all enjoyed this random little extra. I said I had an important note and I do. Maybe some of you saw my post on my wall about my surgery, but if not, I have a surgery coming up. Because of where I live, I have to pay the full $12.5k myself, which is a lot of money I don't have. So I made a gofundme.

I don't expect any of you to donate, but if you could share it around, that would be just as helpful. I'll embed the link so it's easy to find.

If you can't donate, but have tapas, you can give me ink. All of the ink I get goes towards the surgery too! The link for my tapas is on my profile.

Thank you all so much! I hope you liked this extra! <3