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There was the light ding of the doorbell which made Jesper drop the decorations that he had been fiddling with to pass the time, and run over to the door. He poked at the security system panel and from the view of the front porch’s camera, he saw Wylan Van Eck shaking snow off of his ruddy-gold curls. Jesper sucked in air sharply to restrain a snicker before he opened the door.
“You actually came?”
Wylan was unmistakably scowling at Jesper even though the lower half of his face was buried in his scarf. “It sounds like you don’t want me here.” The evening was so brutally cold that Wylan felt like his nose was about to freeze and promptly fall off of his face. His arms were crossed in a sad attempt to try and make himself feel warmer, while glaring at Jesper, who was slow to finally comprehend how freezing the weather was before he let Wylan in.
“That’s not what I meant. You just didn’t seem like the type to enjoy parties.” Jesper couldn’t help but grin as Wylan stepped past the door and into his place.
Wylan took breaths with his mouth and blew air out of his nose to try and warm his blocked nostrils as he shook off the snow tracked on his boots. “I enjoy them plenty.”
That wasn’t exactly the truth. Wylan merely thought it would’ve been nice to try and immerse himself in festivities for a change, instead of being stuck at home with his moroseful father. The tall, lanky-limbed and tan boy was just a smaller bonus compared to getting to spend his holidays with friends; or at least that’s what Wylan’s been telling himself. Wylan took his scarf and outer coat off as Jesper shut the door behind him.
“Mhm, sure. Anyway, make yourself home. You’re the first one here.” Jesper found the will to not comment on how cute Wylan looked; all red-faced from the cold. Jesper swiftly took Wylan’s scarf and coat from him, which earned him a small thanks from Wylan as he hung them on one of the hooks in the hallway before the living room.
“You sure your Da knows about us coming over?” Wylan took cautious steps as he peeked his head around the Faheys’ apartment. The entire place was decked out with fairy lights, brightly coloured stockings and there was even a fireplace crackling below the television. It was a different scene from what Wylan was used to at home, but he very much took a liking to how this home was decorated. He felt almost a little envious of how cozy the place was, but it didn’t fester for long as he was soon distracted by Jesper’s conversation.
“Yeah, yeah. He said it’d be best to invite friends over. I think he fears what may happen if I were left alone, probably accidentally setting myself on fire like that one time in kindergarten,” Wylan’s pacing paused for a moment in explicable concern before he continued, “But enough of talking about that, what did you get me?” Jesper was sure to linger wherever Wylan went, and he was lightly pulling onto the strap of Wylan’s satchel like it was the most interesting thing that could have demanded his attention. Wylan held onto the strap of his bag and stepped away from Jesper, “Are you so confident that I am your secret santa? It’s called secret for a reason, y’know?”
Jesper hummed, “Just wondering if you would have gotten me a gift even if you didn’t pull my name,” He strolled at a slower pace behind Wylan, down the hallway. They both took a seat before the television, streaming a marathon rerun of the Harry Potter franchise. Wylan sat cross-legged onto the couch, while Jesper cheekily flopped onto the couch and laid his head on Wylan’s lap. Wylan peered down at him, “Don’t you have…host-like matters to do?”
“I’ve been running around like a fucking madman, trying to decorate the place before everyone gets here. Gimme a break, Wy.”
Wylan’s lips pursed together. He didn’t like having Jesper this close to him, neither did he hate it. The closest word he could use to place his current feelings was, uneasiness. Wylan felt unnerved as Jesper looked at him, and Wylan wasn’t sure if it was all in his head as Jesper continued to bat his eyes like he wanted Wylan’s attention to stay focused on him. Wylan wanted out, so he tried to shove Jesper away by placing his hands by the sides of Jesper’s face and lifting his head up, but that only backfired as Jesper let out a soft gasp and grabbed onto both of Wylan’s hands.
“You’re freezing,” Jesper remarked.
“It’s obviously from the weather. The forecast said it’d snow but I didn’t know it’d be to this extent.” Wylan tried to peel his hands out of Jesper’s hold.
Jesper didn’t move away as he turned his head at an awkward angle to look Wylan in the eye, “Hug me.”
Wylan considered shoving Jesper off of the couch. “What?” The cold made for the perfect excuse for Wylan to blame for the blush that crept around his cheeks. Jesper shrugged casually, “I’m warm. You could use me for warmth.”
Wylan finally ripped his hands out of Jesper’s grasp and glared at Jesper as he stated what should be obvious, “I’m not that cold.”
Jesper clicked his tongue against his teeth in annoyance as he sat up, no longer laying on Wylan’s lap as he got up to face him. Jesper’s hand searched for Wylan’s again, and when he caught it he brought Wylan’s hand to his cheek for a slight comparison, “But your hands are shaking,” Jesper commented, his voice came out more of a whisper. “Or maybe you’re just excited to see me?”
Wylan swallowed thickly before he responded, but still it seemed like Jesper had hit the nail on the head with that guess because Wylan’s response came out as a shaky croak, “No…”
There came an answer that did not sound convincing in the slightest to himself, let alone Jesper. Wylan couldn’t help but frown before he slapped Jesper’s hand away, and as he crossed his arms to intentionally not allow Jesper a chance to mess with his head again, Jesper inched closer to him. Wylan tried to ignore the feeling of Jesper’s weight shifting closer to him as the couch cushion they sat on sank a little lower, keeping his eyes glued to the screen that displayed the fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise; it was Wylan’s favorite movie in the series. He never got sick of watching the protagonist’s name being pulled from the goblet of fire, not to mention the upcoming Triwizard Tournament; however it was hard to enjoy such a classic when he could quite literally feel Jesper breathing down his neck.
If Wylan just ever so slightly turned his head to the side, their lips might just meet.
Wylan was aware of that. But he considered it. Wylan thought about how gratifying it would be if he just finally gave in to himself after months of practicing self-control, and seeing as how Jesper didn’t budge, perhaps he was thinking what Wylan was thinking too. Slowly, Wylan looked to his side.
Jesper had his head tilted to the side, with an inviting smile on his lips that made it really hard for Wylan to look away. Wylan’s gaze flickered from Jesper’s eyes to his lips, up and down before Jesper nodded like he was egging Wylan on to be the one to ruin their friendship. But then there was the sound of the doorbell ringing again. Wylan turned his head back to the front, away from Jesper with a flinch; like he was about to jump out of the couch and run to answer the door. However, Jesper moved to cup Wylan by the cheek before Wylan could even consider removing himself from this situation, “You don't want to?”
The events of the movie unfolding blurred together with the fact that he could feel Jesper’s touch on his skin, it all made Wylan’s mind spin like the flurries of the snow, “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just-”
There was the familiar click of the door opening that Jesper recognised, and with a dragged out groan, he pulled away from Wylan before he stood up from the couch and welcomed whoever just ruined his chances at romancing the ruddy-blond, whom he had been dying to kiss for the longest time by now.
“The door was unlocked. Are you trying to get robbed?”
Wylan whipped his head around in a near frantic manner, still jumpy from the fact that Jesper, his good friend Jesper who just so happened to be the prettiest boy he knows, hinted that he wanted to kiss him. Jesper would have and was going to kiss him. Wylan supposed he should put the matter behind him for now and quietly watched as Jesper pulled his friend in for the briefest hug that Wylan had ever seen.
With much sarcasm, Jesper grumbled. “Merry Christmas to you too, Kaz.”
Not one for hugs, Kaz pulled away with a hurry like he couldn’t wait to get away from Jesper, and behind them was Inej who was busy undoing the laces on her boots. When she was done, she got up and practically jumped into an embrace with Jesper, “Happy holidays, Jes!”
Jesper let out a hearty chuckle as he caught Inej, “Back to you, love.”
Like looking into a mirror, both Wylan’s and Kaz's eyes met, and recognised that envy was written all over both of their faces. They looked away from each other when Inej and Jesper parted, and Inej was quick to greet Wylan as she took a seat next to him, “Oooh, Harry Potter?” Her eyes were now glued to the television screen. Wylan only hummed weakly in response, trying to ignore the selfish frustration that hit him like a semi-truck when Jesper had no other choice but to sit next to Inej, seeing as how she took up Jesper’s previous spot. Kaz chose to sit in the lounge chair by their side, stretching out his leg ailed by chronic pains as he observed, “So, they are late, again?”
Wylan nodded, while Jesper whistled, “I wish I was always held up by my boyfriend too. Lucky Neens.” Wylan couldn’t help but wonder if Jesper had said that to screw with him on purpose.
“Don’t you mean that Matthias is held up by Nina? I’m pretty sure she’s only second to you in terms of how long you guys take to get dressed.” Inej added, and she struggled to hide her smile while Jesper elbowed her side, and once again Kaz and Wylan shared mutual looks of disdain. As if the Saints were growing bored of messing with their feelings, finally there came another ding of the doorbell to free them from the unspoken tension in the room.
As both Inej and Jesper hurried to welcome the final two, Wylan tried to ignore the anxious feeling in his gut as he stared at the movie that he loved, but even this film wasn’t enough to make him forget about wanting to kiss Jesper. Then a figure stepped in between Wylan and the screen which forced him to lift his head up, and the sight nearly made him pass out from a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
“Merry Christmas, bitch.”
“Holy shit, Nina,” Wylan had his hand in front of his mouth in mild shock as the brunette before him was dressed in a velvet red dress which was definitely her color, however the detail that made this look so uncannily humorous on her was the fact that she had on a white beard, like Santa would. Her boyfriend too, was dressed for the occasion, the same white beard and red Santa Claus outfit. “I don’t even wanna know how you convinced Matthias to put this all on.”
From the hallway between the front door and the living room, echoes of Jesper and Inej howling with laughter could be heard, and even Kaz’s lips seemed to be lifting upwards out of amusement.
“Hey, he did all this voluntarily! I don’t expect you to know the first thing about couples’ wear, Wy, but he likes it when we match!” Nina tossed locks of her hair behind her shoulder and dramatically flashed a variety of poses, while Matthias awkwardly nodded to attest to his girlfriend’s words, before he dragged his feet away and slumped onto the couch. Matthias did enjoy dressing up with Nina, however he was just terribly shy about it. Nina was quick to follow as she took a seat onto Matthias’s lap, ignoring Kaz’s comment about how there was more than enough space for her to sit down like a normal person. After Jesper and Inej had recovered from nearing passing out from all the laughing, they returned, and the six of them started to discuss what to order for dinner, the discussion occasionally disrupted by Inej and Wylan pointing out the details of the movie playing on screen.
They settled for pizza and a few other assorted side dishes, and while waiting for the food to arrive, they all gathered in the kitchen to make themselves hot cocoa to firstly keep themselves warm, and secondly to partake in the so-called festive spirit; that Jesper kept using as an excuse to explain the ludicrous amount of Christmas lights and decorations scattered around the house.
While Jesper poked fun at and snapped pictures of the whipped-cream mustache Wylan had above his lips, while Nina shared a cup of hot chocolate with Matthias after they pulled down their fake Santa beards, and while Inej had somehow convinced Kaz to put on a Santa hat, their food arrived. They were all seated on the carpeted floor, hands reaching for the slices of pizza, and had the company of Cedric Diggory’s death in the background as they chattered amongst themselves, and after filling their stomachs, they exchanged gifts as part of the little Secret Santa tradition they were trying for the first time.
Everyone went to grab their gifts, and Jesper nearly told Wylan to shut up as the ruddy-blond approached him with a decently sized box in his hands.
“Um. I hope you like it,” Wylan’s voice was so gentle, almost fragile-sounding like he was afraid of what Jesper would think of his gift, like what Jesper thought of it was so very important to him, as if his confidence would shatter if Jesper had any qualms with his gift. “It’s just, you always comment on how much you like my neck scarves, so I got you one in your favorite color.” Normally, Jesper would’ve been drooling at the sight of Wylan giving him a gift that seemed to have some thought put into it, however a sneaking suspicion was nagging at Jesper and he just had to go and figure it out.
Jesper sneakily hid the gift he had for Wylan by tucking it into the back pockets of his pants, before he shakily took the box out of Wylan’s hands, opened the cover and saw a patterned, purple neck scarf. “I’ll uh…be right back.” He left the box in Wylan’s hands, and left in search of the one who planned the little gift exchange.
As Wylan was left standing there, feeling like he was about to crumble to the floor at any moment from what he reckoned could’ve been one of the worst responses he had anticipated from Jesper, Jesper walked to the other end of the living room where Nina and Matthias were cuddling on the couch, giggling and muttering something between themselves. He purposefully yanked her shitty dollar store fake beard off to get her attention which earned him an irritated groan out of the brunette, “What the fuck?”
Jesper spoke in sharp hushed whispers. “Yeah, what the fuck, Nina. Did you plan this from the start? You sneaky little cunt. You rigged this.” Jesper’s nose was scrunched up in mock betrayal as he wagged his finger in the air, pointing at the brunette accusingly.
Nina blinked rapidly like she was having trouble comprehending Jesper’s words, and Matthias merely stared at Jesper like he was crazy. However not long after, Nina could be heard stifling a snickering fit that could barely be eased as she let out a sigh. She mirrored Jesper and spoke at an equally soft volume, “Of course I rigged it. Otherwise it takes away all the fun, right?” And that was all it took to appease Jesper, as he hastily agreed, “You’re bloody right, and I fucking love you Neens. Saints .”
As Jesper brisk walked, making his way back to Wylan, Nina wished him luck.
When Jesper’s eyes caught sight of Wylan again, Wylan held something in his hand, standing by a short wooden cabinet that stored items for safekeeping, but primarily was used as a display area for the Faheys’ family photos. Wylan was holding up an old photo frame, with a picture that depicted a young Jesper who was around five, being held up by his Ma while his Da hugged her by the waist.
“You know I’m standing right here?” Jesper murmured next to Wylan’s ear, and the ruddy-blond jumped in surprise as Jesper continued, “Surely the real thing is better than an old picture?”
“Well- I was- I just think…you were cute here,” Wylan was red-faced as he gestured to the photo frame in his hand, which made Jesper feel the urge to tease him even more.
“Am I no longer cute?” Jesper reached out for the photo frame, but intentionally grabbed Wylan’s hand as well, “Hm? Tell me.”
“That’s not what I meant. You still are-” Wylan stopped himself as he realized he couldn't call Jesper cute without making it sound like he was ridiculously infatuated with him, and he shook his head before he corrected himself, “I mean- I guess you’re not cute anymore, seeing as you’re no longer a kid.”
“Mhm, is that right?” Jesper smirked, licking his lips to hide it before he set down the photo frame back to where its original position was, and he brought out the gift for Wylan that he had put away. He presented a small box to Wylan, “Here’s what I got you.”
Wylan looked up, all wide-eyed and shocked. “You were my secret santa too?” Wylan looked down at the gift, then back at Jesper contemplatively, understandably suspicious of how coincidental this gift exchange was. Then it clicked. Wylan cautiously accepted the gift as he asked Jesper, “Nina must’ve done something with the names in the bag we drew out of.” Wylan had intended to ask Jesper that, however he was so confident that Nina had messed with the slips of paper that had everyone’s names written on them that his question came out more like an accusation. Jesper tried to shrug it off, “I’m not sure. But what I’m sure of is that I’d like you to check out my gift.”
Wylan had placed his gift for Jesper next to the photo frame on the short cabinet, and Jesper reached out for his gift, immediately digging his hands to rip off the cover again and he brought out the purple neck scarf, trying to tie it around his neck. Wylan had been busy looking at the small ring in the box that Jesper had gifted him, and when he noticed his gift was Jesper’s favorite ring, he tried to return it.
“What?” Jesper was mildly taken aback, “Just take it.”
“But it’s your favorite, it’s so… you. I can’t pull it off.” Wylan spun the ring around on his finger.
“Yes you can. Now shut up and help me with this,” Jesper pointed to the neck scarf. He had done a shoddy job at tying a knot, not because he couldn’t, but because he wanted an excuse for Wylan to come closer. Wylan, unbeknownst to Jesper’s hidden motive behind his request, promptly got on his tippy-toes to help Jesper. Wylan had a frown on his face, not appreciating being told to shut his mouth, however he was more engrossed with the fact that Jesper looked so proud of himself that he needed Wylan’s help to do something as simple as tying a knot on a neck scarf.
“There.” Wylan retracted his hands when he finished fixing Jesper’s neck scarf. and went back to standing normally before he started to spin the ring around his finger.
“I think you need to redo it.” Jesper tugged on the scarf around his neck like it was suffocating him. Instead of thanking him for the effort, Jesper wanted Wylan to do it all over again, which sort of irked Wylan. “Why don’t you just practice? Instead of blaming me.” Wylan replied bitterly, under his breath. Jesper was quick to amend his response, “No, I just-“ But before he could defend himself, Wylan walked off, mumbling something to himself like he was cursing someone out.
Wylan would be lying if he said he wasn’t embarrassed. While he was tying the neck-scarf around Jesper’s neck, he was so nervous for no good reason; his hands did not stop trembling, and he found his breath catching in his throat every time he felt Jesper’s Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Of course he couldn’t do a proper job of tying a neat knot when he was so caught up in his head about two words that shouldn’t have anything to do with one another, but they did in Wylan’s mind. Kissing Jesper. Wylan hadn’t been able to rid his mind of these two words next to each other since the previous night; he had been meticulously picking out his outfit, wondering if his wardrobe even compared to Jesper’s, wondering if it was enough to get his attention.
Wylan’s embarrassment was so trivially stupid, and now he was determined to sit in a corner hidden away from Jesper and finish drinking his hot chocolate that had been left to sit out during the entirety of dinner. Wylan reckoned his drink deserved to be renamed something like room-temperature chocolate.
Jesper was left to wonder what he had said to earn such a visceral reaction and reply from Wylan. Meanwhile, Kaz walked past him, and Jesper considered pinching himself as he saw his best friend smiling to himself. Kaz, smiling giddily? Jesper wondered if he was being punked by Santa. At the moment, Inej trailed along behind Kaz, holding something that resembled a beret. Jesper squinted and noted that it indeed was a beret, and he just couldn’t resist pinching himself when he saw Inej place the beret on top of Kaz’s head. While Jesper shook off the stinging sensation in his forearm, he rolled his eyes as he watched Kaz and Inej exchange a few words. Jesper was certain that if anyone else dared to replicate what Inej had just pulled, they might’ve lost an eye. Or perhaps Kaz was simply giving in to the festive spirit, but Jesper had no time to worry about that when he had a certain ruddy-blond to look for.
It was nearly midnight now, and the couple that was the last to arrive was now the first to leave. Wylan only came out of the kitchen when he heard Nina bidding farewell, and joined to bid her and Matthias a goodnight. While Nina and Matthias packed their belongings, getting ready to leave, Jesper pulled Wylan aside. Or rather, outside.
Wylan didn’t really have a choice in the matter of getting pulled out to the front porch where the snow-fall was light but just as unrelenting as it was when he got here hours ago. “What do you want?”
Jesper closed the door, letting it click behind him as he looked around nervously as if there would be anyone in his neighborhood interested to look their way in the dead of the night of festivities, “Did I say something that hurt you? Don’t get me wrong, I love your gift. So…why did you just…”
Wylan licked his lips, crossing his arms again to protect himself from the cold. “Sorry. I was a bit snappy because I thought you didn’t like my gift.” Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth, but Wylan guessed he wouldn’t have a chance to admit how he really feels about Jesper anytime soon. So his half-assed excuse would have to suffice.
“I really liked it. Now we match.” Jesper grinned, and Wylan’s stomach felt funny upon seeing Jesper’s joy. Jesper then asked, “Did you like my gift too?”
Wylan nodded slowly as he ran his thumb over the cool metal ring, “Though I still think it looks much better on you.”
Jesper shrugged, “Well, there’s still one more part to my gift.” And that fed into Wylan’s curiousity. Wylan brows furrowed together. Jesper pointed upwards, hinting for Wylan to look up and he did. When Wylan slowly tilted his head back down which allowed Jesper to catch a glimpse of his reaction, Jesper was certain that it wasn’t just the cold that attributed to why Wylan was always flushed around him.
“Has that been there the whole time?” Wylan asked in a borderline muted tone. Jesper grinned, which only affirmed that Wylan was correct but Jesper felt the need to add, “Do you know what it means when a m-“
Wylan shut him up, fast. “Yes, Jesper. I know what standing under the mistletoe means.” Wylan’s voice was cold and stern, like a warning, but not to Jesper, to himself that if he gives in to desire, he may regret it. Jesper is one of his closest friends, and it made Wylan feel horribly small to think that he may ruin it all with just a kiss.
“Of course, only if you’ll let me.” Jesper reassured Wylan. For a moment, Wylan forgot what he was worried about in the first place, and he closed his eyes. There was nothing left to do but to wait. First he felt Jesper’s hands pull him in by his waist, then a light touch under his chin to lift his head upwards. From then on, Wylan felt like snow, melting under Jesper’s touch as their lips met. His knees almost gave out at some point, and Jesper caught him, but still they lightly bumped against the front door. That caused them to part.
“You okay?” Jesper had asked, and Wylan nodded, unable to form words on his tongue as he couldn’t help but notice how kissed, and red Jesper’s lips were, and to know that it was his doing, felt fucking fantastic. Wylan didn’t stop Jesper from leaning in again.
When they decided to stop because their hands were getting numb from the cold, when they decided to stop for the sake of Jesper having to bid farewell to the rest of his guests, when they decided to step back inside; they were greeted by the other four, standing by the door, looking absolutely dazed.
“What? Why are you all blocking the way?” Jesper gently shoved Nina to the side and let Wylan step in before he shut the door. Wylan licked his lips unconsciously in a bid to calm himself, then he met Kaz’s gaze.
Wylan had a brief epiphany before it turned into panic. He looked at Jesper and pointed to the security panel by the door, then Jesper too, looked gutted when he realized.
“Have you guys been…watching us? By any chance?” Jesper had asked, and the room grew so quiet that it made Wylan want to rip the hair off of his scalp.
“…No?” Inej was the only one to reply after a period of awkward silence. Jesper offered her a weak smile as thanks before he dragged Wylan off to the living room, where the two of them bickered over how stupid it was of them to do that in one of the only places on the estate where there were cameras. Wylan had blamed Jesper for failing to recognise this, especially when Jesper lives here, while Jesper simply blamed Wylan for being so pretty that he couldn’t think straight.
Their friends felt like they had overextended their welcome, and wisely invited themselves to leave while Wylan and Jesper were too busy arguing to notice.
Needless to say, as soon as Colm returned from the family visit, Jesper proposed that they remove the security camera altogether; Jesper also strongly denied it when his Da suggested that Wylan, who was now Jesper’s boyfriend, probably had something to do with why Jesper seemed so desperate to get the camera footage from Christmas Day wiped clean too.