Glada Vappen!

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne hadn't celebrated holidays properly in over a year which left him feeling disconnected. Giant bonfires in the streets and rampant reindeer were frowned upon in most civilized cities, unless of course the punks were involved, then that was arson not celebrations.. ok, well for the punks it was a celebration but not for a Saami.

In the Nexus though, oh here he could do whatever he wanted, or that was what he had learned in his few visits. He had been planning and cooking and collecting. The gods probably don't even know where he stirred up reindeer from in the Nexus but he has and Mouka was happy to have a job keeping them corralled. His usual rock gear is augmented with his family necklace and oddly doesn't look too out of place with rest of his wildness.

He didn't have a lot but parties always started this way. The host had some things and then people came and brought more booze and food, ordering all kinds of things. Aarne did bring Mead, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and a a bunch of lemon tippaleipä batter. He had cooked some but this was something he could show visitors how to make on their own. The honey mead based sugar in a large bowl. Strips of dried reindeer meat and juustoleipä, a Finnish reindeer milk cheese, are out on the table too. There are fruits; strawberries, apples, and nuts which were common as well as a cream from reindeer milk traditional to the culture and nearly like unfermented yogurt.

That all done he looked to the huge pile of logs that he had gotten from various people around the Nexus. The Sami added leaves to it to create smoke at first to attract others. Before lighting it he put up a banner of hide dedicated to the Akka, the female fertility spirits, decorated with the same imagery as his traditional drum. It was sentimental, the first drum he ever learned to play.

Drum in hand he poured kerosene on the log pile and lit it. The reindeer spooked at the sudden fire but soon calmed, especially when the tall Fin went among them.

Comments

[helland_damnation]

"Yeah, it is."

Joe liked the variety and the Scandis were so fucking crazy he loved it. Even Viktor seemed to be falling for the punk, Vars. Zack? He was the shy one who seemed to be talking to some guy who knew Ziggy's brother. It was all good. Billy, well, he was stuck on his Dane. Everyone could see that.

"You're going back home for a month? Back to Finland? I'd love to come. I've never been to Finland before. Sounds fucking awesome, babe."

He smiled happily and wanted to spend as much time as possible with the Fin because being apart wasn't something Joe was looking forward to at all. He knew it would happen though. Did this mean Aarne liked him? As in really liked him? More than a slap and tickle? This pleased the Brit a lot.

"Sounds good to me. This wooden cup is cute. A lot like you."

Taking the kuksa, Joe offered the drummer a wink then waited for the bottle to be opened. The shopping trip would likely be a boozed-fuelled trashfire. But then when was it not?

[suomi_thunder]

"Lapland." Aarne corrects. "I moved to Finland when I was eleven but most of my family is still in Lapland."

Aarne definitely liked the Brit who never asked him to slow down or tone down or stop. In fact he encouraged him to be even louder. "You can't bring ten suitcases of clothes and hairdryers."

Now he was teasing as he poured their drinks. However, it was honest since his family was nomadic and could move while they were with them. That compliment did something that would have floored the drummer's bandmates, he blushed hot on his cheeks.

[helland_damnation]

"Lapland? Does this mean I get to sit on your lap once we get there?"

Joe couldn't resist the rather crass remark but he was so happy to be invited to Aarne's homeland. He laughed at the comment about bringing too many clothes and hairdryers with him. It was a valid point though since he'd be flying and the weight limit on the plane. He would just have to get more clothes there which meant---more shopping!

"We can go shopping together in Lapland once we get there. I'd love to visit a bar with and get smashed on native booze with you."

[suomi_thunder]

"Can I sit in yours?"

Aarne grins at the crass comment. Joe's humor always made him laugh, sometimes to the point he couldn't breathe.

What he was saying got a laugh for another reason as Aarne tried to drink his cup of mead. "My family doesn't live in a city. We're nomads in a wilderness preserve. Last time I was home they still didn't use cars because gasoline was too far away."

[helland_damnation]

"Of course you can sit in mine. You're the girl and I'm the bloke."

At least that's how Joe saw it since Aarne was girlier than him and he loved it that way. The man was adorable and trashy which pleased the bassist since he found someone just as trashy and crazy as himself. Most wouldn't even go near him because of his personality but now that all changed.

"Are you telling me you live in huts and don't have electricity?"

This was a mild shock but Joe just shrugged and smiled anyway since he didn't care if Aarne lived in a cave. He loved him. If the Fin lived in a remote village then it would be an adventure. Just not much chance of wild bars and salons to do your hair. Not that it bothered the Brit much.

"I'll have to bring you back to my home one day too. We've got clubs, bars and modern stuff."

[suomi_thunder]

"You should find a chair to sit while we drink." Aarne would always sit in the Brit's lap. Though he wasn't sure he was a girl, he definitely accepted the term from Joe. Others might get hell for it.

"Lavvo, it's a tent and we don't have electricity." Aarne giggled and patted Joe's backside as he headed for one of the bigger chairs in the area that could hold both of them. "If it's winter when I go you'll have to sleep close to me under a bunch of furs."

The dogs would pile in with them too. It wouldn't be a bad thing to spend his nights that close to Joe but he did think he was going to have to get their own sled and lavvo. He couldn't see subjecting any of his family to them for weeks on end.

"I've been to Britain but I bet you know better places than I saw." He's happy to spend some time traveling around with the Brit. Maybe they would have time to do both before recording or more touring started.

[helland_damnation]

"Lavvo? You guys are tough bastards if you live in the fucking cold and have no electricity. I love you even more."

Joe sat down in a chair and made sure there was space enough for Aarne to sit in the bassist's lap if he so wished. To be sharing a lavvo with the Fin in the cold of winter sounded like an awesome experience, albeit a cold one. Who cared? He would gladly cuddle up with Aarne in his tent under furs buried along with fluffy herding dogs or sled dogs. Either way, he wanted it all.

"There's a lot you haven't seen, honey. We could get wild back home."

This was the plan if he dragged Aarne on a plane back to the UK. He would take the Fin to all the clubs he knew and get trashed every night. It sounded like the perfect time.

"I'd love to cuddle with you under the furs."

[suomi_thunder]

"Lavvo. It is a tent for traveling. Not all Saami use them, only the ones that are still herders." Aarne's extended family wasting those that were still very traditional. They even shunned the influx of modern fabrics, like canvas that some of the herders used for the Lavvo.

The Fin sat sideways in Joe's lap so he could put an arm around his neck. "Do you want to learn Skolt-Saami? Only my mother speaks English."

It might be easier on everyone if Joe had the basics before the trip. The idea that he could spend cold nights in the Lap country side among his people with Joe made his heart pound to the point it felt like nausea, but good nausea.

"I'll ask Hunter about our plans after the tour and we can make plans."

[helland_damnation]

"Skolt-Saami? Your language? Fuck yeah do I! Then I can call you hot, sexy names in your own language."

Joe's mind just went this way because the Fin is all he can think about these days. To be able to share in Aarne's heritage and become even more a part of his life felt good. The bassist wanted this more than anything. Surely, Hunter would agree to let the Brit visit if there were no plans for The Hammers. Kissing Aarne's cheek, Joe giggled.

"What's sexy beast in Saami? Because that's what you are."

His hand coming up to cup Aarne's cheek, gently nibbling on the man's lips before sipping some more of his booze.

[suomi_thunder]

"It's the Saami dialect my family speaks." Aarne clarifies because if they come across others they might speak a different version of the language.

Aarne giggles against Joe's neck, of course that was what he wanted to do, and that was part of why he was falling in love with the wild Brit.

"mōǯes’ žɨva." Aarne says it a couple of times. "It doesn't mean sexy beast but beautiful animal. It's the closest in the language I think."

Some words became borrowed from Russian or Finnish when they didn't exist but the Fin thought that was close enough.

[helland_damnation]

"Right, so the different tribes have different variants on the language? That's epic, mate. Really. Mozes---Ziva? I probably said that all wrong but I still love you. Beautiful animal---yeah, you are that."

Joe just wanted to try and memorise what Aarne was telling him without being disrespectful because this was his family's language and part of who he was. Most of which would probably sail over the Brit's head but he was willing to try. If this was Viktor trying he would probably just shrug and give up but Joe had perseverance and a cooler head on him than their singer.

"Sexy-Beast. That might be your new name, babe."

[suomi_thunder]

"Yes. Some words are similar but not always." Aarne knows he is trying and stops drinking for a few minutes to help Joe get the pronunciation right. He's patient in general despite his wild need to always be going and moving. Thankfully, Joe worked the same with the dial turned all the way up and at full speed constantly.

"I like Kuuma" Which Aarne had used in the bar when they met. "or kiihottunut." The last word gets Aarne laughing because he knows it is dirty.

[helland_damnation]

Joe had a go with pronunciation, failing a few times but then easily picking it up after a few good tries. He wanted to show that he wasn't a complete piss head all the time and did possess some skill in language. As for the dial being up all the way all the time? This was how he rolled.

"Kuuma? Kii----oh fuck, how do you even say this? Kii---hottunut? Sounds kinky."

Of course the Brit would say this since how could he not? He had no idea what it meant but Aarne was laughing so it had to mean something dirty. This the bassist liked a lot. Would he ask for all the dirtiest words in Aarne's language? Possibly. Drinking some more mead, he licked his lips and then caressed his fingers through the drummer's big hair.

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne can't stop the laughing at the botched pronunciations but he also gives Joe a kiss on the cheek for trying.

"Kuuma, burning or hot." Aarne was fine with that one then he is laughing so much he can't even say his own language's words for a moment.

"kiihottunut." There's a giggle. "It means horny and sexy."

It was dirty and his own people would see it as very sordid but he didn't care. He never cared too much. Though, in the moment, right now he's the happiest he's been in years. This kind of acceptance from someone outside of his family and someone who wanted to stay, where he wasn't a novelty, it had his heart pounding when Joe started touching his hair.

[helland_damnation]

"You're horny and sexy, reindeer boy. Your hair is fluffy like reindeer fur too."

Joe was partly being playful because he knew animal fur was much more coarse than human hair. But still, it fitted. He loved Aarne and just loved to joke around and be with the Fin since it felt natural almost. Someone on his bandwidth. Was he in love? The whole whirlwind romance had started back at that bar when they fucked then it had gotten deeper after that.

"How about I call you sexy hair? Does that work too?"

He was drunk but in a good way, just now kissing Aarne's ear, and feeling that big hair tickle his nose.

[suomi_thunder]

"Horny and sexy with beautiful hair?" Aarne laughed as he leaned against Joe, running his fingers through the bassist's hair. "It's a good description of you."

Whirlwind barely touched the surface of how Aarne felt given the speed at which they were both falling. He felt dizzy, and more often than not sad and fearful that Joe was going to walk away. The Fin found it hard to believe in anything permanent but he wanted this to be permanent, prayed and worried over this. The ear kiss getting a laugh and a little squirm out of him due to the tickling of Joe's hair. It had a different texture, straighter and smoother, which was enough of a difference to tickle.

"The rest of you is sexy too." Aarne tells him before taking a drink. Being held for something other than sex caused his heart to pound up into his throat. Aarne nuzzled in and smiled. "We could go pet the reindeer."

[helland_damnation]

"Yeah, you are."

Joe just laughed and loved how Aarne squirmed at the ear kiss. He just wanted to spend quality time with the bloke and get to know him and his traditions since there was so much he didn't know about the Fin. They'd only known each other a short time since the tour and the three bands coming together--it felt like a rollercoaster ride.

"Thanks because you only get to see me naked. No one else."

That was the truth because right now there was no one else Joe wanted. Or, rather, no one would take such a crazy guy as the Brit anyway. Relationships weren't easy with Joe and it was Aarne who he wanted and petting reindeer? That sounded like fun.

"Let's go and pet the reindeer, sweetie."

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne stroked Joe's cheek, careful of his make up, then placed a kiss on his lips, playfully with a bit of nip.

"I hope I'm making all those other bitches jealous over what I see every night." Aarne grinned because he loved it, loved just laying naked with Joe, and it wasn't just the sex. The sex was amazing but so was being held close by the same person every night instead of a ever changing list of people who might or might not be there in the morning.

"You need to get used to them." Aarne tells him but he hasn't moved. Sitting in the Brit's lap is too nice too leave right away. "They're ornery and stubborn like me."

[helland_damnation]

Joe did love to paint his signature twin black stripes across his cheeks and was grateful Aarne was mindful of these. His war paint? More like stage paint to create his crazy, often energetic yet masculine persona. He loved to show off and being with his Fin was so good about now.

"Jealous bitches? You bet they are jealous. No one touches my bass or my legs. Nothing. Just you, babe."

He laughed softly and wondered what it would be like to live amongst the reindeer. As for Aarne's people? They sounded interesting and it would certainly be a cultural shift for sure since he came from South London. Lapland was a completely new land.

"I suppose you can't just hop into a taxi and go to the pictures where you live."

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne isn't sure what to make of or so with some of these declarations. The sound of long term in them confused the Fin, excited him, and was just a little terrifying. He didn't even know how to express what he was feeling and so sat in silence with his head on Joe's shoulder and his forehead pushed against his neck.

He laughed and shook his head though didn't lift it off of Joe's shoulder. "It's not boring. There's a lot to do and family to us doesn't mean just my family. We live in groups of five or more families. There are 30 or 40 people in my family and usually we work during the day and then drink, tell stories, play games and things in the evening. There are just different things."

[helland_damnation]

It felt refreshing to actually have someone who was just like him. Crazy, loud and attractive. Also, Aarne was feminine and yet masculine at the same time. He loved all of this and the way the Fin was kind and loving too. It made his own heart beat faster at the prospect of having a boyfriend that would take him at face value.

"I wouldn't think it's boring, honey. Just---I'm from a big city and this will be a big cultural change for me. You might need to give me time to adjust a little."

He wanted to make that point clear because as much as he loved Aarne and the thought of staying with his people---the bassist was jumping in a the deep end and needed time to adapt a little. It would be fun though. No doubts there, it was just Joe was wondering what it would be like. City boy meets nomadic lifestyle almost.

"Drink, tell stories, play games? That's my kind of life, mate. Do I get to cuddle up with you under a fur blanket in bed?"

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne adored Joe's energy and wrapped his long arms around him as they sat together.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Aarne gave him a kiss on the cheek. He knew it would take time, though he was much younger and the city smaller than London, Aarne remembered moving as a kid. Joe would have an easier adjustment at least. Though as he sipped the mead, the drummer started giggling and gave Joe's collar a tug.

"Do you think I'm going to let you sleep anywhere else?" There it was again, the invitation to stay. He dreamed of Joe staying and every time he felt his heart clench in his chest because no one ever had before. The Brit had already stayed longer than anyone else. He could walk out at any moment.

[helland_damnation]

"I mean I've lived through some tough winters in the city but they're probably nothing like what you tough bastards are used to."

He smiled and leant into the long arms now cuddled around him. London's winters could be cold but Lapland? They were on an entirely different level altogether but the Brit was tougher than he looked and wanted to experience all of Aarne's land with him. Sipping his mead, he enjoyed the flavours now coating his tongue.

"I'm not sleeping anywhere else. Fuck that. I want to be with you, babe."

Joe grinned and offered his Fin up a kiss to his lips; a slow and meaningful kiss before breaking off and drinking more mead, finishing his wooden cup in one.

[suomi_thunder]

"We have warmer clothes and you get used to it." Aarne was resilient to cold compared to some of the others.

Aarne giggled into the kiss and then slowly pulled away. "Let's go get a camera before we visit the reindeer."

Visit was such a weird word to use since the animals were in view. Aarne didn't care.

[helland_damnation]

"I'm sure you do get used to it having thick skin."

Joe smiled and touched Aarne's arm, squeezing slightly, just wondering how cold his people's land really was. He'd just pack the right amount of clothes for the duration. As for the camera---yes. They needed to get a good one so the bassist could take some quality snaps of his time with Aarne and his people.

"Does this mean I get to take dirty shots of you naked laying on the furs?"

Of course Joe had to ask that as he slipped his hand into the Fin's and squeezed softly, walking towards the shops.