Corym Anani-Bloom didn't expect the Keeper Winterfest parties to be quite so stuffy. The first few hours of them were plagued with inappropriate questions and polite smalltalk. Nobody used the dancefloor, and nobody said what they really thought about anything.

It was his first year joining, as one of them. 

The irony wrote itself - he was now 10th Keeper of the Arts. Fate had quite the sense of humor. 

Throughout the evening, he and Milo were handed all means of food and drinks as they spoke to other Keepers and officials. It was definitely decadant: rich pastries and complex bites of anything they could imagine, a sparkling wine that tasted like the stars to accompany it all. 

Yet the evening turned sour when an official started treating Corym as a servant. 

Excusing himself, he left the conversation and made his way to a side room of the venue. He was used to such comments, but he had had just enough wine to know his words would slip all too easily into insults. 

He wasn't surprised when Milo found him a few minutes later. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I'll be fine" Corym exhaled as his husband approached. "Just needed a minute before saying something I regretted. 

"Hmmmmm ok, it would have been funny though." Milo sipped at his wine. 

Corym raised an eyebrow. "How drunk are you?" 

"I'm not very drunk, I'm ok" Milo assured him with a grin, before looking Corym up and down, blushing deeply. 

"What is it, Mi?" 

"You are just veryyyyy handsome today. And I kinda want to kiss you but I can't..." 

"Why ever not?" Corym chuckled 

"Cus you're too short." Milo groaned, as if it was obvious 

Corym held back a laugh - his partner was absolutely drunk. He took the wine glass out of his hand and set it on a table nearby. 

"That's never stopped you before." 

"Yeah but I just can't." 

Corym took Milo's hands and dragged him along until he could step on a stair, finally reaching his height. 

"Is this better?" 

Milo considered him, and leaned in to kiss him before shaking his head. 

"Noooo you're cheating now, I still can't." Milo bemoaned. 

"May I then?" 

"May you what?" 

"Oh come on Milo, may I kiss you then?" Corym couldn't help but giggle, fairly tipsy himself. 

"Nooo then you'll be a bigger cheater. I don't want you to cheat on meeeee". 

Corym laughed out and pulled Milo into a hug.

"I won't, I promise." 

"Double promise?" 

"Absolutely" 

"Nice, good, I-" Milo giggled "You're nice, I kind of have a crush on you" 

Corym showed him the rings they had exchanged. "Good thing we're married then" 

Milo smiled at the rings. "Oh wow..." he chuckled "I have a secret, Corym. I think I'm drunk."

"You dont say." 

"I did just say!" 

"You're a cute drunk, Mi". 

"And you're handsomeeee and oh- I think mom will be mad so shhhhh we can't tell her, ok?" 

"Promise." 

Of course Corym told Eliza about Milo's state once they got home, seeing how absolutely obviously inhibriatrd he was. She never got upset, just helped him figure out his own rules as she made him drink water.

"Corym can't be too short for you to kiss him if you're both sitting, right?" 

Milo's jaw fell and he looked at Corym sitting next to him. He took his face in his hands and finally pressed a kiss to his lips in front of his mother. 

"Rules are weird" he chuckled, "But I like this rule. " 

"And the sparkling wine, clearly" Eliza muttered. 

Milo shook his head. "The wine doesn't make me drunk. But the whiskey cream might have. But I'm not drunk I just want sleep! Sleep is friendly."

"Alright buddy let's get you to bed. Don't think you've ever called sleep 'friendly' before." 

Milo was asleep within minutes that night, after making sure Corym would stay with him all night.

"But...you sleep here too?"

"I always do. We're married, remember?"

"Ooooh yeah. Damn that's just so cool, " he giggled. 

Corym laughed at Milo's sudden too-casual way of speaking, and took his husband's hand in his.