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Honestly, Jaden had a feeling the first of his many not-so-subtle endeavours to make Yusei swoon with the romance of mistletoe wouldn’t go so well. Even as he stuck the little plastic plant with the best of his ability to let it dangle in the archway leading to the kitchen, Jaden kinda figured this probably wouldn’t be a success the first time round, but hey! It was almost Christmas and Jaden wanted to get into the spirit of it!
“Hey Yusei! C’mere, I’ve got drinks for us!” Jaden called out to the living room once he was sure the mistletoe was properly in place and wouldn’t fall down. Yusei had been typing away on his laptop for the last hour, and with his workaholic tendencies it was pretty easy to tell that Jaden had managed to set up his little surprise without spoiling it.
Not that it really ended up doing him much good.
Even as he waited under the archway, two glasses of lemonade in hand, for Yusei to join him; even as they stayed under the mistletoe and sipped away at their drinks; even as Yusei gave him a kiss on the on the forehead and thanked him for the kind gesture, the mechanic had completely missed Jaden’s romantic efforts. Again, he kinda saw it coming, but… still a bit of a bummer.
Alrighty then. Not to worry! He still had a couple of tricks up his sleeve!
Jaden’s second attempt definitely wasn’t anywhere near the same level of subtlety as the traditional method in the first time around. After a brief look around the apartment they shared, Jaden was quick to find Yusei in the garage, lying on a rolling board with his head underneath the infamous Yusei Go. Jaden wasn’t exactly sure what his boyfriend was doing, but it was the perfect distraction to keep Yusei from figuring out his little plan.
“Jaden?” Yusei had called out upon hearing the other’s footsteps as he (luckily for Jaden) kept himself tucked underneath the motorcycle.
“Yo!” Jaden grinned as he moved closer to his partner. “Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry. I just came to see if you needed anything.” It was a bit of white lie, but Jaden didn’t mind the bluff as he quickly wrapped the string in his hand around the handle of motorcycle so the mistletoe dangled with ease – making it an obvious sight for Yusei for when he moved out of his position and sat up. He couldn’t miss it!
“I’m alright,” Yusei replied, completely unaware of Jaden’s plan, “but you’re welcome to stay.” And stay he did! Heck, Jaden even pulled up a chair to sit near him just so he could see Yusei’s golden reaction to the his early Christmas present. He was happy to just sit and keep waiting…
And waiting…
And waiting…
“Are you uh… sure it’s safe for you to stay under the bike for that long?” Jaden asked, finally breaking the long silence between after it started to kill his excited vibes. “You don’t wanna come out for some fresh air or something?
“It’s fine.”
“… You sure?”
“I’m draining the engine’s oil,” Yusei explained as he continued his work, not even daring to lose focus for a second. “I need to stay down here to monitor it.”
“Ah,” Jaden replies quietly, tapping his fingers lightly like drumsticks on his knees as he tried his best to wait just a little longer. How long could it take to drain some oil anyway?
…
Aaaaand nope. He was bored.
“Alright, well… I’d love to stay and chat,” Jaden ultimately announced as he stood up and slipped the string of the mistletoe off the handle of the Yusei Go and back into his palm, “but I better head off and take care of some stuff. I’ll talk to you later…!”
He didn’t even stay long enough for a reply.
So Jaden could admit it – the last two attempts had flopped horribly. Apparently just being tastefully subtle wasn’t gonna be good enough for Yusei. Which meant… if he wanted to do this, he had to make it as obvious as possible. Well then. If that was the game he had to play to charm his boyfriend, then let the games begin!
With Yusei locked away in the garage to work on his motorcycle, Jaden didn’t get another chance to sweep him off his feet until after dinner, where he waited for Yusei to relax on the couch before putting his final plan in motion. He watched carefully, making sure Yusei wasn’t looking, and was relieved to see that he was far too invested into a book to notice him approaching. So with a determined huff leaving his lips, Jaden walked to the back of the couch and leaned against it, getting a good view of Yusei’s book as he gazed over his shoulder.
And how would he use the mistletoe this time? By dangling right above Yusei’s head.
Come on Yusei… Don’t fail him now…
Upon feeling Jaden’s light breath against his neck, Yusei turned his gaze to meet Jaden’s own with a quiet hum, as if silently asking what Jaden was up to.
“Whatcha reading?” Jaden asked with a tilt of his head, almost amazed that Yusei hadn’t looked further up yet.
“An adventure novel set far into the future with advanced technology,” Yusei replied simply, his lips curved into a small smile as he kept his gaze solely on Jaden.
“A bit of sci-fi, huh? Sounds like your type of fun.”
“Mm. It’s interesting to read.”
There was a moment of silence as the two just looked at each other, with one of Jaden’s eyes nearly twitching just from how oblivious Yusei was.
Had he–… Had he seriously not noticed?
Oh Yusei… Jaden absolutely adored the way your gaze was so focused on his own, but for crying out loud look up.
“Are you alright?”
Yusei’s voice broke through Jaden’s thoughts and he blinked, almost stunned that this hadn’t worked out like he had planned.
“U–… Uhm,” Jaden blurted out as he quickly stood up straight, bringing the mistletoe away from Yusei’s head and behind his back. “Yep! Fine! Just wanted to look into your eyes and all that fun stuff…! Anyway enjoy your book!” And with an awkward thumbs up, Jaden found himself quickly retreating out of the living room much to Yusei’s confusion.
Nice, Jaden. Real smooth.
Oh man, he was tired.
There had been three attempts – three obvious but solid attempts, but unfortunately for him, the poor mechanic had missed every single one of them.
A light whine left the brunet’s lips as he leaned against the railings of the balcony in their apartment above the garage, watching the stars decorate the night sky with their calming shimmer. He hadn’t spoke to Yusei since his most recent failure; of course, Jaden wasn’t mad at him about missing his hints. If anything, he was just bummed that he didn’t get a chance to show his Christmas charm. Sure, he could have just gone up to Yusei, said “look up” and let the magic happen, but… what was the point when the element of surprise wasn’t even a factor anymore? That was supposed to be the fun part, right?
Jaden stayed silent, deep in his own thoughts and completely unaware of his surroundings. It was only when the mistletoe was gently taken out of his hand did he finally take notice of what was going on. He let a quiet hum with a blink of confusion before turning around to see… Yusei.
Specifically Yusei holding up the mistletoe above both of their heads.
“Yusei…?”
The brunet wasn’t given an answer – not a verbal one anyway. Instead, his head was tilted up with his boyfriend’s gentle fingertips and Jaden could only let his breath hitch in response as his heart leaped in his chest.
“What are you– Mmph!”
His question was cut off with a surprised and muffled cry as Yusei silently closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Jaden’s own. The kiss was short, but just as sweet and loving as ever, warming Jaden’s heart instantly against the cool winter breeze that surrounded the two of them. With his eyes fluttering to a close, he placed his hands on Yusei’s chest and returned the gentle kiss, slowly forgetting about the mistletoe and his little adventure that came with it. It didn’t matter right now – he had something else taking up his attention, after all.
However, as much as Jaden wanted to enjoy their tender moment between them for a little longer, Yusei slowly pulled away and rested his forehead against the brunet’s own. He heard the quiet but satisfied hum leave the mechanic’s lips and sparkling brown eyes watched as Yusei gently put the mistletoe in his pocket so he could wrap his arms around Jaden’s small waist.
And in that moment… Jaden let out a relaxed sigh, practically melting into his lover’s embrace. His wasted efforts on his missions were forgotten for time being, and all he could focus on was how warm and loved he felt in Yusei’s arms – how staying curled up was a perfect way to end a wonderful winter’s night; and how his lips still tingled from such a magical kiss under the––… Wait.
Hang on.
And finally... as the motives behind Yusei’s actions clicked into place, Jaden quickly found himself remembering every failed attempt to capture his boyfriend’s attention, forcing him to pull away with a quiet huff.
“… Seriously?” Jaden whined, his bottom lip curled into a soft pout. “I spend the whole day tryin’ to surprise you with that mistletoe and you finally figure it out once I’m done with it?”
He was met with a couple of blinks as Yusei tilted his head curiously before letting out a quiet chuckle.
“That’s what you were doing?”
Jaden stared up at him for a moment as his cheeks flushed a light pink, feeling embarrassed that Yusei had caught him in a different way than he had been hoping.
“Wait–… You mean you knew?”
“That you were up to something, yes. Just not what.”
“Aw man,” Jaden mumbled against Yusei’s shoulder and was treated to another soft laugh from the taller male as a result. “What gave it away?”
“You never spend that much time in the garage with me when I’m working.” Yusei replied simply, but Jaden could easily hear the amusement in his voice.
“… Damn.” Jaden wasn’t left pouting for long, however, as his head was tilted up once more and he was met with a gentle smile that could melt the hearts of anyone it came in contact with.
“Sorry,” Yusei’s voice fell to a whisper as he tightened his hold on the brunet. “Let me make it up to you?”
Jaden wasn’t given a chance to answer as Yusei leaned down and brought him in for another kiss… and another… and another. Even though he was sure they would both catch a cold as they continued to kiss under the stars and in the chilling breeze of winter, he knew that they had each other to keep themselves warm.
And honestly...? Jaden wouldn’t have had it any other way.