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"You should put it a liiiiittle more to the left. Nope, no, I said left...!"
Jesse inhales the scathing remark he otherwise wants to snap out, instead glowering down from the top of the ladder at Antonia. She coyly rocks on her heels from below, subtly gesturing for him to nudge the mistletoe he's trying to hang a little more to the left. If she wanted it such a specific position she should have done it herself!
"Yeah, well, you're taller than me, soooo you've got a better shot than I do," Antonia retorts. Jesse wilts, realizing he'd said the last part aloud. She smirks up at him, not the least bit put off. "Don't be so sour! My festival day party won't be complete without it!"
"It's been doing just fine so far."
Jesse moves down a step to gesture around the rest of Antonia's house. Zane's been miraculously keeping up with the food and refreshments, Nya's doing her best to keep Lloyd and Harumi from spoiling the gifts, Cole lifts everyone's spirits by blaring festive music in the living room, and Kai, Jay, Olivia, and Jamie have been busy dancing away. There hasn't been any shenanigans yet. Yet. So, that's a success in his book.
"...I'm still miffed that Jay won the ugly sweater contest." Jesse gestures at his garish striped green sweater covered in sequins and tinsel. "I swear I had it in the bag!"
"Sorry, Champ, can't beat a guy with blinking lights in his wardrobe." Antonia clicks her tongue, returning her focus back to the task at hand. "But see, this? The others don't even know it's here yet! And it could be a chance for you to get some revenge!"
"I don't want revenge; I want to get down from this ladder and drink some hot chocolate. And maybe eat a sugar cookie."
"But it could be so funny!" Antonia dances around with far too much excitement. "Imagine if we manage to lure Jamie and Olivia under here; Jamie would explode! Or watching Jay try to run through at the same time as Nya! Or just imagining Kai in general, now that I think about it–"
"Gauuuugh." Jesse slumps on the top of the ladder. "This is too much effort–"
"Just tape the thing to the doorway already!"
"I can't reach it; my fingertips are just barely brushing the top! I might be taller but I have, like, dinosaur arms!"
"I think you're just making excuses at this point." Antonia folds her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Perhaps this is all because you don't want anyone else to wind up under here with, saaaay...Cole?"
"...Tch, I don't care about that," Jesse lies, gnawing his lip. "I just don't see why we need something like this. We're all just hanging out as friends, right?"
"Exactly! If anyone actually does decide to adhere to tradition, it probably won't go beyond a cheek kiss." Antonia shrugs. "Like I said, I'm much more entertained by everyone's potential reactions rather than...people getting action, I guess?"
Jesse lets out another distressed groan before a clatter, a scream, and twin maniacal laughter comes from the kitchen. Zane's voice howls throughout the halls, and just as Jesse and Antonia turn towards the chaos, Lloyd and Harumi come running through with devious grins on their faces. Lloyd's arms are stocked high full of peppermints, while Harumi's got as many cookies as she can carry. Neither of them pay Jesse nor Antonia any mind, with Lloyd even bumping the side of the ladder and sending Jesse straight to the floor.
"Ow, HEY—!"
"I'm SOOO sorry!" Nya calls, rounding the corner and stopping to take a breather. "They duped me! Harumi distracted me by the tree, making me think they were going for gifts but they were really after the sweets! I should've known—!"
Now Zane runs through the room, eyes nearly blazing white as he hauls after Lloyd and Harumi. He grumbles furiously to himself, so incoherent that it almost sounds like computer dial-up sounds. Antonia and Nya gulp and sidestep out of his way while Jesse rolls to safety. He hurries by in a flurry, with Nya moaning miserably.
"I'd better get back to it—he's going to need an extra hand for sure."
"Here, I'll help too," Antonia says, following after Nya. She spins on her heels and points at Jesse. "You finish our little pet project; I'll be right back!"
"Of course," Jesse sighs, just as the sounds of chaos fade deeper into the rest of the house. He sets the ladder back up, making sure it's firm this time, then climbs back up to continue his fruitless conquest.
As he struggles to get the darn plant in place, he wonders why he is so against it. He agrees with Antonia—it might be a fun way to push Jamie into making a move, or to watch Jay's terrible attempts at wooing Nya over (not they need a plant to have an excuse to kiss each other). And even Jesse's little buried trickster heart would find it hilarious if Kai somehow got caught with Olivia–
—but, he does think about Cole stumbling under with just anyone, and his stomach lurches. Cole's easy-going and friendly, enough to probably give out a good-natured forehead kiss or some other such. That shouldn't bother him...but, it does, because he's hopeless. And then there's the scenario of...the potential kiss not just being platonic on Cole's end? Then what?
Jesse whimpers, enough to nearly topple himself off the ladder again. He shakes it off; this is silly! Who cares?! He's just gotta put this dumb plant up to get Antonia off his back, and then avoid this particular doorway for the rest of the night. What he doesn't see nor know about can't hurt him. And far be it from him to get caught in his own so-called trap. He doesn't care at all. He doesn't need this.
...but, he really can't reach the top. It's a fancy arched doorway, and Antonia is far too particular about the mistletoe being hung smack in peak of the middle. For the aesthetic. Jesse grumbles, standing on his tiptoes as high as he can climb on this short ladder, and reaches forward with all his might. His knees start to wobble, and he fears he might drop the mistletoe, or even himself—
But now there's a strong, firm hand wrapped around his, keeping both Jesse and the mistletoe in place. Jesse almost wishes he'd hit the ground instead.
"Do you...need some help?" Cole asks, fighting off a laugh. He's got his headphones wrapped around his neck, clearly taking a break from managing the "dance floor" in the living room. His grin is infectious as it always is, and the mirth in his eye is heightened by the holiday spirit. And in the face of all that blinding brightness, Jesse only manages a silent nod.
Gently, Cole removes the mistletoe from Jesse's hand. Then, with a single jump, he manages to slap it right into place as Antonia intended. Jesse is lowkey impressed and also insanely jealous he can jump that high. Or just reach high places without constant struggle.
"...thanks, I suppose." Jesse finally finds his words, and the strength to tear his eyes off of Cole. "Coming to my rescue, right on time as always. My hero."
"Well, truth be told, I was trying to swing by the kitchen for a quick swig of that hot chocolate you whipped up," Cole confesses sheepishly. Jesse perks up. "Buuuut the kitchen's currently a battlefield, so I wasn't about to cross that warzone."
"Oh, jeez, no, I get that."
Cole hums, turning his attention back to the ridiculous predicament Jesse's gotten himself stuck in.
"...why are you even using a ladder?" A snicker finally breaks free from Cole, poorly repressed by the back of his hand. "I mean...you can float; can't you, Mr. Master of Surprise?"
"I–" He'd actually forgotten, courtesy of his annoyance at Antonia. But Jesse's not about to tell Cole that. "I was...just trying to conserve my magic, that's all. Besides, Antonia put me up to this, and she was lingering around at first, so—"
"Yeah, I figured." Cole glances up at the mistletoe with a small smirk. "You don't really seem the type to go out of your way to do something like this..."
Jesse makes a face, sliding down the ladder to join Cole on the floor. "H-Hey, what's THAT supposed to mean?!"
"Oh, nothing, nothing," Cole teases, folding his arms behind his head. "Just was wondering if there was someone you really wanted to kiss, hence why you'd agree to this–"
"Gnauuugh?!" Jesse sputters, struggling to put together a coherent thought. "Wh-What?! N-No, no, not really, you know how forceful Antonia can be; she had my arm twisted, ahaha..."
"Suuure." Cole leans against the doorway now, far too attuned to when Jesse desperately wants to change a subject. That smirk stays prominent on his face, and there's nothing more that Jesse wants to do than wipe it off. With puffed cheeks, Jesse clenches his fists, about to really pop off—
But then he notices the speck of green in his peripheral.
"...ah...wait a minute." Jesse pauses. His neck slowly cranes back, until the top of the doorway comes into view. That accursed mistletoe hangs precariously above them...and they're both beneath it. "...Wait, WAIT—!"
"What?" Cole asks innocently, following Jesse's gaze. "What's the big–oh. OH. Um...oops."
Realization settles in like a sudden blanket of snow in a storm. The duo bring their gazes back down until they lock with one another. Cole stands only mildly surprised, while Jesse gapes like he'd just swallowed all of his teeth.
All his complaining earlier, and now, here is Jesse, a fly caught in a web of his own making...or, however the saying goes. He can't think straight—especially not straight—not when Cole's—right there—under the mistletoe—and that means—them—kiss—?!
"...does it really count if we were the ones putting it up, heh heh...?" Cole asks, trying to lighten the mood. When he doesn't get an answer, Cole blinks, and finds Jesse trembling nervously, eyes just as pink as his cheeks. Yet, despite that, Jesse doesn't move to leave.
"Hey, we...don't have to do anything if you're not comfortable," Cole says gently, easing Jesse down from his panic. "No one's watching, and we can just walk away like we were never here! And I'm sorry, I-I really was just trying to help; I didn't mean for—"
"I-I...don't...have...a...problem," Jesse sputters out, voice quaking. His heart has jumped into his throat and now he's about to choke on it. Cole raises an eyebrow.
"It doesn't sound like you don't have a problem. And you look like you're about to explode—"
"I don't! I have zero problem kissing you, trust me! It's like, almost, the opposite of a problem!" Cole balks in surprise, and Jesse suppresses a hollow laugh. Cole doesn't even know the half of it. "I-I just, um...if you don't want to, with me, I'd...I'd understand, so..."
Jesse takes a step back, fumbling with the sleeves of his sweater and staring at the ground. Figures, he'd land right in the situation he'd been dreading this whole time. Such is his life. He really shouldn't be surprised...but then, he wouldn't be a Master of such then, now would he?
He takes a deep breath, awaiting Cole to take the first out he has, or just politely decline, or explain how he's saving his kisses for another... Jesse understands, really. It's also just killing him on the inside.
"Well, I'd kiss you."
The hall is silent as Jesse's mind shatters and the world inverts on itself.
"...wha...WHA?!"
Cole slides his hands into his pockets, struggling to maintain eye contact. "Is that so hard to believe? You've always been a good friend to me, and...you are really pretty, and, I dunno, I just, I...wouldn't mind...that's not weird, is it?"
"...no, I don't think so." Although Jesse's still stuck on being called 'pretty' so, you know. "So...does that mean, you...?"
Cole glances back up at the mistletoe, smiling to himself. "Well, 'tis the season."
Jesse snorts, and in the same breath Cole closes the distance between them. Cole's not that much taller than Jesse, but in the moment Jesse's never felt smaller. Especially when Cole leans down so that they're eye level with one another, noses nearly brushing...and lips mere inches away.
How is everything happening so fast when they're moving so slow?!
"...oh wow," Jesse whispers, the anticipation of the oncoming event making his cheeks go from pink to red. "That...that's close...um..."
"Last chance to back out?" Cole suggests. And oh, Jesse probably should. He's not going to be able to recover from something like this...and it's only going to make it all the harder to distance himself from Cole.
But...if Cole really does want to do this too...how bad could this really be? It's all just holiday fun, right? Maybe he'll just make it quick. Maybe he'll find a way to squash an eternity into a single second. And Cole won't ever have to know how much this actually means to him. This is fine.
"...well." Jesse places both his hands on either side of Cole's face. His heart is pounding and it's taking everything in him not to violently shake. Cole's not making a big deal out of this, so neither should he. Keep it together, Jess. Breathe. "...it would be bad luck to not do it, so..."
"Yeah, that's true, so..."
"...so..."
"...so..."
"So," Jesse exhales, feeling his nerve slipping away by the second. He pounces before he loses all of it. "...c-can I kiss you?"
"So polite," Cole hums, briefly amused. "But, you may."
Unable to handle the anticipation anymore, Jesse makes the first move, guiding Cole in closer to make this easier. Cole acquiesces, although somewhat surprised at Jesse's boldness, and that's the last thought that goes through his head before their lips officially meet.
It's hesitant at first—soft, gentle, and chaste, only growing more fierce with the growing confidence Jesse finds in himself. Cole doesn't know what to do with his hands, floundering for a bit before settling for putting one on Jesse's waist. The other rests against the one Jesse has on his cheek, which cues Jesse to move it so their hands are latched instead. Jesse reigns himself in from going too far with things, but with how eagerly Cole reciprocates...it's very, very difficult. They last for about ten seconds longer than they probably need to, pulling away only to lean their foreheads together, not ready to put more distance than that between them.
"...huh," Cole muses the moment they part. Jesse makes a face; 'huh' is the best he can say about it?! Jesse's over here experiencing sparks and fireworks and star collisions and whatever other nonsense people say they feel during their majestic kisses, and Cole comes out of it with a 'huh'?! Seriously?!
"No, no wait! It wasn't bad, really!" Cole scrambles to defend himself upon seeing the offended twist in Jesse's expression. Jesse raises an eyebrow. "I was just...worried..."
"Worried why? That I'd be a bad kisser?" Because Jesse's worried about that too. But, again, he's not going to tell Cole that.
"No! You were...um, well, amazing, actually, but it's just..." Cole rips his gaze away, swiping his tongue nervously along his lips. Jesse fails to not stare. "...like I said, you probably did have someone in mind while hanging that thing, and...I was worried I wouldn't live up to your expectations. Or that you just settled for me, or something. I'm...still kind of in shock you even let me do that, haha..."
Jesse's annoyed gaze melts immediately as he heaves a charmed sigh. He truly doesn't understand how Cole can lead an entire team of ninja, come up with strategies on the fly, and be so in tune with other people's emotions...and still be so oblivious to the most obvious emotion of all.
With a smile, Jesse slides both his hands into Cole's, keeping his gaze steady as he looks into Cole's eyes.
"I promise...you were perfect."
Cole gulps at the sheer amount of sincerity at Jesse's words. The mood left between them isn't awkward per se...but the tension? Now that could be cut with one of Harumi's knives.
"...well, you know, w-we... we could've made that a cheek kiss, you know," Cole stutters, dazed and breathless. Jesse swallows, chuckling nervously.
"...yeah, I guess we could have."
...regardless of that fact, Cole goes back in again, and Jesse wordlessly meets him halfway. All the hesistance from before evaporates...and very quickly, the two of them forget that they're actually at a party.
"HOLY HELL, I WON!"
"NO, DAMMIT!"
Cole and Jesse pull away with a start, looking behind Jesse to find Jay literally clicking his heels in the air while Kai's fallen to his knees in anguish. Before Cole and Jesse can even question them Kai reaches into his pocket to pull out a wad of cash, which Jay snatches up all too eagerly.
"How long were you there?!" Cole yelps, gripping onto Jesse...and also being the only thing preventing Jesse from passing out.
"Long enough for me to win the bet!" Jay whoops, doing cartwheels in midair. "Hahahaha, I TOLD you, Kai! Always bet on the underdog...! Nyeh nyeh nyeh!"
"Ghnaugh, shut up..." Kai stands back up, dusting off his slacks and sweater before folding his arms with a pout. He then smirks in Cole's direction. "A better question is, how long did you two plan on making out, hah?"
Cole sputters, and not even his earth-powered strength can keep Jesse from slumping to the ground, now nothing more than a flustered pile of goo. "N-Nothing was planned, we just—mistletoe—and–carried away...? I-I mean, it was...nice...but it wasn't a big deal, either—!"
"Ha! Are you serious?" Kai asks, head tilted in disbelief. "Jesse is one thing, but I don't think I've ever seen your face so red...!"
"Wha...? I'm not—"
Jay teleports away, then warps back with a mirror snatched from Antonia's room. He holds it up in front of Cole, forcing Cole to confront his reflection. Sure enough, Cole's eyes are subtly glowing, and he's blushing. Hard.
"...huh. Didn't even notice," Cole replies coolly (and as if his heart isn't absolutely thrumming right now), making Kai sputter and Jay cackle. However, Jay's quick to go hunt down Nya, as predicted, while Kai rubs his hands together and makes devious plans to get Jamie involved. Cole rolls his eyes, but he's at least glad they're not giving him that hard of a time about it. He's sure they'll come back around later, though.
He turns his attention back to Jesse, now completely out cold, and this time Cole does feel his face heat up. Was that—double—kiss really too much for him? Was being busted too embarrassing to take? Or...was Cole just that good?
"Augh, stop, stop," Cole tells himself, slapping at his cheeks in a poor attempt to calm himself down. He kneels down to scoop Jesse into his arms, aiming to set him on the far more comfortable couch. Despite the haphazard way Jesse turned into sheer jelly, right now, his face is nothing short of serene, if not peaceful...and pleased.
It makes Cole's heart skip a beat. But, he coughs, pulls himself back together, and carries on with his new mission (of carrying Jesse), planning to put this whole mistletoe mess behind him. Jesse's probably not going to bring it up unless he's held at knifepoint, so...Cole won't mention it again either.
Like he said, not a big deal. It's whatever. They were just keeping up a holiday tradition, for good luck. And Master knows they can always use more good luck...
...but, if Cole really was to be honest...maybe, he wouldn't mind kissing Jesse all over again.
...just with less mistletoe next time.