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“Huh.” Leo said, looking up to the tree they’d paused under to get their clothes in a somewhat drier state. Or rather — just Vincent’s since Leo had only really gotten wet on a bit of his jacket and his left trouser leg.
“What?” Vincent asked without stopping to wring out his shirt. It came out harsher than he intended. He was still shaken from his near-death experience, even though he would never admit that to the other man.
“Nothing. I just… noticed that there is mistletoe in the tree.”
Vincent raised his eyebrows. “That’s nothing unusual, Leo. It’s a parasitic plant.”
“No shit! I know that.” Leo pouted. “It was just an observation that we’re sitting under a mistletoe, that’s all, ok?”
Vincent paused. Why were they talking about— Was Leo really saying what he thought he was? “The you-have-to-kiss-under-a-mistletoe thing is only a dumb Christmas tradition, Leo. It’s not even winter yet.”
Leo crossed his arms. “That’s not what I was getting at, alright? I have to distract myself somehow while you-” he threw him a wary side-eye, “get undressed!”
Vincent didn’t let the other man’s feigned offense rail him. “Unless I imagined the group shower in prison, you did see me naked before.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Like I’ve paid attention to that!” Leo protested and bumped his elbow against Vincent’s side.
Vincent huffed. As if the snide remark would hurt him. “Fine! I don’t remember asking you to sit next to me. If it makes you uncomfortable, how about you give me some space, then?”
Leo pointedly looked away but didn’t make any attempts to move.
Vincent had to admit that he was glad that he didn’t. The heat that the other man’s body radiated towards him felt surprisingly pleasant against his damp skin.
He contemplated his soaked trousers. It would be better to take those off and try to dry them, too. He hesitated, Leo had managed to make him feel awkward about not wanting to get hypothermia — great.
“It’s not dumb.” Leo said suddenly.
“What?” Vincent asked absently while trying to open his belt with his clammy fingers.
“The tradition. I got Linda to kiss me under one for the first time.”
Vincent really didn’t know what to make of Leo’s repeated attempts to push the topic. “You do realize that she would have kissed you even without that thing, right?” He said and pointed upwards. “A mistletoe doesn’t magically make people want to kiss you.”
“That’s not the point. It was just — you know — special. Anyway… It wasn’t dumb!”
“If you say so.” Vincent sighed and hoped that they had ended the topic once and for all. He couldn’t care less about what plant he was currently sitting under. He got up after finally managing to loosen his belt and took off his pants.
Upon realizing what was going on, Leo scrambled to turn his back on Vincent, but Vincent could see Leo looking at him from the corner of his eyes.
Vincent snorted and shook his head in light amusement at the man’s show of pointed masculinity.
“You gonna get a cold, you know?” Leo grumbled after a while.
“Not how it works. You don’t get a cold from *being* cold. That just weakens your immune system. So, you easier contract a cold if you come into contact with the bacteria.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Leo got up and looked up into the tree again. “Did you know that kissing strengthens your immune system?”
“Are you serious?” Vincent asked incredulously. “What is it with you and kissing today?”
“Hey, *you* brought up the kissing, ok? Anyway… yeah, I saw it in a paper once, I think. Trains your immune system because… you know.” Leo made a gesture with his hand and trailed off.
Vincent shook his head and wrung out his trousers. He grimaced as the cold water ran down his fingers. It was already afternoon, and he doubted his clothes would dry out until dusk. Another night in clammy clothes wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined the day to end after they’d finally managed to renew their attire at the farm house.
Leo was still eying up the tree like he wanted to climb it.
“What are you doing?” Vincent asked irritated.
“Just thinking… If you really get sick, we might wanna get one of those for the way.” Leo pointed at that damn mistletoe again.
“I’m not getting—” Vincent stopped. “How do you even know it isn’t toxic?”
“From a comic— my son’s comic book. There was this druid that always needed that stuff for his potions.”
Vincent scoffed. “A druid in a comic book? Really, Leo? You can’t just apply comic book logic to the real world.” He shot him a suspicious look. “Remind me to never accept any plants from you.”
“Very funny. But I think the mis—”
Vincent interrupted him. “Leo, will you stop it with the mistletoe!”
The other man looked like he was about to reply something, which made Vincent even more angry. He didn’t want to hear any more about this stupid plant.
An idea formed in his head. If Leo wanted to kiss under the damn thing, fine. At least this way, he would shut up about it for a while.
He swiftly put his hand on the back of Leo’s neck and pulled him close, crushing their mouths together through the sudden force. The warmth that the other man’s lips transferred onto his made him shiver. He subconsciously inched a step closer towards the source.
The plan had been to grab Leo, kiss him and break away quickly. Now Vincent found it hard to execute the last part since the immediate presence of Leo’s hot body made him realize how cold he was.
Getting over his initial surprise, Leo put his arms around Vincent and broke their kiss. “Shit, you’re freezing.”
A bit of panic dwelled up in Vincent. This thing definitely didn’t go as planned. He wasn’t even sure what he was thinking in the first place. Instead of catching the other man off guard, he was now a shivering mess in his arms. Maybe he should have thought this through a little more.
A devious smile formed on Leos face. “What was that about the mistletoe not making people kiss?”
Vincent ignored the heat going up in his ears and glared at him. “Fuck you, Leo.”
“Is that a threat? I might just let you go if you don’t play nice, you know?”
“Be my guest.” Vincent replied defiantly, but didn’t make any effort to free himself out of Leo’s embrace. He had a hard time constraining himself from wrapping his body around the other man as it was.
“Oh, so you don’t mind, huh?” Leo teased further. “Sure, I can tell by the way you press yourself against me.” He laughed.
In retaliation for making fun of him, Vincent snaked his free hand under Leo’s shirt and put it between his shoulder blades. Leo’s laugh was cut short by a surprised yelp.
Vincent’s audacity was promptly repaid with an assault on his mouth. This wasn’t not nice, actually. Leo’s lips were pleasingly soft on his own. The pressure just enough to leave him wanting to lean in for more. Before Vincent had to decide if he should start breathing again or simply faint from the lack of oxygen in his lungs — which was, all things considered, maybe the easiest option right now — Leo pulled away again. Vincent desperately sucked in some air and stared at Leo’s half closed eyes. His heart was beating hard in his chest. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
A smile tucked at Leo’s face. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. Must be that thing.” He nodded upwards and let his eyes trail down to Vincent’s mouth. “I guess… if we want to get out of this, one of us has to move.” He mused softly. Leo tilted his head slightly and leaned in closer to Vincent’s face. If there was ever a chance to stop this madness, it was too late now, Vincent thought as he moved in to meet Leo halfway.
Their lips danced over each other for a second before Leo pressed into his; sucking them; tracing them with his tongue. Vincent parted his mouth and welcomed him. Vincent’s hand on Leo’s neck wandered upwards, gripping a handful of hair and pulling him closer.
Leo’s hands idly trailed over his back, leaving hot imprints in their wake and forcing another shudder from Vincent’s body. He moaned into the other man’s mouth. He flicked his tongue against Leo’s, teasing him. The man responded to it with a moan of his own and a forceful push against Vincent’s hips.
And suddenly, he didn’t feel so cold anymore.