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10:37 PM, December 24th.
Sparkling sighs.
It's been a very busy night at the bar. People chatting, friends laughing, …some were even crying their hearts out. All of these noises echoed throughout the room, merging into one incomprehensible choir.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looks around the bar, glad that he is finally able to breathe again. The amount of people in the building is almost overwhelming, but what could he do? It was Christmas Eve, a time where people would meet up with their friends, family, and maybe even lovers. The bar was the perfect place to gather up and avoid the harsh cold of winter.
Sparkling stifles out a laugh, leaning his hips on the edge of the counter. Despite everything, he's proud of himself for making it so long without losing his cool, especially with how many of his glasses had fallen to the floor and shattered, and how every breaking of the glass rang so loudly in his ears that he swears his head was going to—
CRASH!
There it is again. Another broken glass.
Sparkling wrinkles his nose, slowly bringing both of his hands to his face. He lets out a loud exasperated groan to his palms in an attempt to release some of the stress in his head.
"Rough night, huh?" A voice rasped from behind him. Sparkling turns around, his sight greeted by white and green hair and teal eyes.
"Yeah..." Sparkling crossed his arms.
"I swear that's like, the sixth glass to break tonight," Mint Choco took a sip of his drink. He furrows his eyebrows, "Or was it the seventh?"
Sparkling pinched the bridge of his nose, "Seventh.”
"Damn."
"Yeah."
"Aren't they gonna-"
"Heeyyyy, Spark– *hic* –ling..." A hand with long red nails waved around, holding an empty wine glass. "Can I have more juice?”
Sparkling tilts his body to see the red-haired man, face planted on the countertop. Vampire Cookie. Of course. Now, how many times has Sparkling heard that same request in that night alone?
A disgruntled “No,” slipped from Sparkling’s mouth.
“Aww, whaaaat?” Vampire whines. “You’re really going to do this to your most loyal customer?” Sparkling clicks his tongue, unamused.
“Well maybe if you paid for all of your previous drinks, I’ll consider giving you a refill,” He grinned, fully expecting his friend to accept his defeat, having carried barely any money. He thought that Vampire might just make some sort of excuse like how a cakehound ate his wallet.
Vampire groans, getting up into a straighter sitting position to dig his hand into his pocket, pulling out an amount of money that appeared to be enough to cover for what he has and probably will be drinking. Sparkling’s eyes widen.
He did not expect that.
“Wow, you’re actually paying for once!” Dumbfounded, he takes the money gladly before putting it into the cash register. “How shocking! I must’ve done something great today for such a miracle to happen.” Sparkling’s lips curled back up into a victorious smile.
“Yeah, yeah, just giv’ me the drink…” Vampire uttered with slurred speech.
As much as he didn’t want to give the man another serving of alcohol, he didn’t want to break his promise either. Aside from being Sparkling’s best friend, Vampire is indeed his most loyal customer too. Eventually, he gives in.
“Alright, fine…” Sparkling takes one of his wine bottles from the shelves and pours the dark red liquid into his friend’s glass. A happy cackle escapes Vampire’s throat. “But that’s your last drink for tonight. I don’t need your sister scolding me again for giving you too much to drink.”
It’s true, Alchemist Cookie has told him off after Vampire got too drunk in the past. It’s happened one too many times, really. She even went as far as to take pretty much all of the wine he had in the bar, not even leaving the cheap ones. Fortunately, she did return them the day after.
But he was just doing his job! There’s nothing wrong with him serving drinks to his customers, right? After all, his customers do pay for their drinks.
The redhead rolls his eyes lightly, “Whatever.”
…Except for Vampire. He barely ever pays for his drinks. The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks that the only times when Vampire did pay for his drinks were when someone else covers for him. Sparkling wonders how he hasn’t gone out of business yet with this wine-addicted man around.
A familiar vibrating from his pocket catches Sparkling’s attention. It was coming from his cell phone. Someone must be calling him, but who could it be? He fishes out his phone and inspects it, reading the name of the caller.
Ah, Herb Cookie, a friend who Sparkling has come to hold rather dearly.
They have known each other since the grand opening of his bar, and have grown closer ever since then. Herb was never that much of a drinker, but he still loved to visit the bar from time to time, usually just to chat with him or the other regulars. He would always carry around a small flowerpot with a succulent planted in it anywhere he went. He says it’s to not make the tiny plant feel lonely. Sparkling found that oddly adorable, and a very Herb thing to do.
He also found his presence quite pleasant, making the call almost feel like a mug of hot chocolate in the middle of a snowy night.
Letting out a comfortable sigh, he pressed the green button, “Hi, Herb! How are you doing tonight?”
“Hi, Sparkling!” The other man greets him warmly. “I’m pretty good. How about you?”
“I’m doing great myself,” Hearing Herb’s gentle voice through his phone’s speakers relieved the tension from his shoulders he didn’t even know he was holding. “What’s up? Do you need anything?”
“Oh, um, not really,” Herb answered, chuckling slightly. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh? What is it?” Sparkling turned his body away from his friends, giving himself more privacy for himself and his caller.
“Um… Do you think…”
“M-hm,”
“Do you think we could, maybe… meet up tonight? Like, in an hour or so?”
Sparkling’s brows lifted involuntarily, his eyes widening in consequence. A meetup? In the middle of the night?
His heart beat just slightly harder, pumping blood to his face, now tinted with a rosy color.
“Of course!” Sparkling says, “I’d love that.”
Sparkling could’ve sworn he heard a small gasp from the other side of the phone. “That’s great! I’ll um, see you at… 11:30. Or 11:45! Does that sound good? That’s not too fast, right?” Herb asks nervously, worried that he might be disturbing Sparkling’s work.
“Not at all!” Sparkling appreciated how mindful his friend was being. “I’ll just clean up a bit faster tonight, not a big deal.” He reassured.
“If you say so,” Herb said between giggles. “I’ll see you at the bar then. Bye! See you, Sparkling!”
Sparkling sends back a warm goodbye of his own before hearing a beeping sound, indicating the call had been stopped. He lowers his hand from his ear.
...Oh, dear.
Herb was asking him to spend time together.
During Christmas Eve, at that.
Sparkling feels an all too familiar tingling inside his stomach. That and the slight tensing up of his shoulders. He’s not quite sure how to react, but if there’s anything he does know, is that he needs to prepare to close up shop. He looked at the clock on one of the bar’s walls and saw that he only had a little over an hour until he would meet the leafy-haired florist.
His face flushed at the thought, the butterflies in his stomach dancing just a little faster.
He covers himself with his right arm to hide his reddened face as he let out a stifled laugh. He inserts his phone back into the back pocket of his pants, a stupid smile now left plastered on his face.
…That is until his green eyes met Vampire’s purple ones. His lips are shaped into a smirk. Sparkling didn’t say anything, looking to his side only to notice that Mint Choco had a similar look on his face, though it quickly went away when he took another sip from his glass, finishing his drink.
Sparkling altered his vision between his two friends, confused, “What?”
Vampire tittered, “Was that Flower Boy? What, he asked you out on a date?” His smile widened with every word he said.
He felt his already red cheeks burn even hotter, “What!? No! How did you even-“
“Really? …With that look on your face, I would’ve thought he did,” Mint Choco teased. “You were so red you could’ve been Tomato Cookie!”
The blonde choked on air. What the hell does he mean by Tomato Cookie!?
He turns around while clearing his throat, averting his sight from the two men. He crossed his arms and thought: he couldn’t have been that red, right? Right???
…Yes, of course not. There was no way. His friends were simply poking fun at him like how they always do whenever he talks about Herb. They couldn’t have been serious. Besides, it was just a phone call! He couldn’t have flushed that hard just from a single phone call with Herb, with his-
“Your ears are red, Sparks.” Vampire cackles from behind him.
Oh, gods of earthbread…
Sparkling throws his arms into the air and turns around, covering his ears. “No, they’re not,” He grumbled. It took almost everything in him to not raise his voice.
“Is that so? Then why are you covering them?” Mint Choco chaffed. “Oh well, never mind that. It’s not like we can’t see them red through your hands anyway.”
Mint Choco and Vampire burst out laughing, with the redhead sounding more like a bird. Sparkling opened his mouth to form a rebuttal, but changed his mind quickly before he said anything. He knew that even if he did talk back, it would just lead to more of… whatever his friends were doing.
Soon enough, Mint Choco and Vampire calmed down. The violinist looked back up at Sparkling, now a genuine look on his face. “Okay, but, seriously. What were you guys talking about?”
Sparkling takes a breath in. He crosses his arms again, except one of his palms is now placed in front of his chin. “Well, he asked me if I could meet up with him tonight.”
Mint Choco nods, letting out a half-suppressed laugh after hearing a small “Nice,” from Vampire.
“Told him yeah, and now he’s going to come here in…” He looks back up at the clock, squinting his eyes to make sure that he’s seeing right. The clock hands gave him an answer, telling him that it was now 10:48. “About an hour.”
“Huuuuh..? That’s not a lot of time…” The fanged man yawned, his sharp teeth showing from beneath his lips. He swishes around the small amount of wine left inside his glass.
“Exactly. Now shoo! I need to start cleaning so I can close up in time,” The blonde waves his hands, signalling to his friends that their time in the bar has come to an end.
Hearing that, Vampire started to whine and complain about how Herb was too sudden with his invitation and how the bar was far too nice to warm for him to just get up and leave. Sparkling rolls his eyes and flicked a finger on his friend’s arm in a playful manner to get the man to get up. He turns his head to look at the other man, telling him that he should also get going.
Mint Choco stands up after giving an understanding nod. His hands tugged on his jacket, straightening it up. The man gives a smile, “Tonight has been great, good luck with your-“
A finger swiftly placed itself in front of Mint Choco’s lips, causing him to sound out a startled noise.
His teal eyes moved down to see the hand in front of his face, that and the owner of said hand. Vampire’s eyes were open wide, enough so that it was out of character. He moves his eyes to look at Sparkling, who looked just as equally confused as Mint was.
Vampire looks back at Mint Choco, moving his fingers in a way that hinted at him to lean in. The man complied, head turning slightly so his friend could reach his ear. He starts to whisper something into Mint’s ear
Of course, Sparkling wanted to know what they were talking about, so he leaned forward so he could listen better. …Which caught Vampire’s attention, and before he could say anything, Sparkling felt his face being pushed back by the hand that otherwise would only be holding a glass of wine right now.
The blonde groaned into the hand, clearly displeased.
He couldn’t see nor hear his friends talking now, other than some “No”s, “We can’t do that”s, and “You’re insane”s from Mint Choco. Now he really wants to know what they’re talking about…
Vampire took his hand off Sparking’s face, finally freeing it from the prison that was his fingers. The bartender blinks, welcoming back the sight into his eyes.
“So, what do you say? Are you in or…?” A mischievous grin showed itself on Vampire’s face.
Mint Choco stutters, “I …I don’t know??? I mean, do you need me? Because- GAH!”
Without warning, Vampire exclaims and grabs Mint Choco by his wrist, very quickly running outside the bar. Sparkling could only stand still as he watches the scene unfold in front of him, mouth wide open from sheer confusion.
What did he just witness?
Vampire Cookie? Rushing out of the bar? Leaving his glass half full?
Something was up, and he didn’t like it. Even more so because he doesn’t know what his friend is planning to do.
His golden locks moved around from him shaking his head.
‘Well, whatever,’ He thought to himself, quickly shaking off everything that had just occurred. He doesn’t have time to think about them now. He needs to clear out the bar. He needs to get ready to meet Herb…
He’s going to…
…meet Herb.
~~~
11:23 PM.
A heavy sigh freed itself through Sparkling’s lips. After a good amount of effort, the bar was finally empty.
“Now I just need to wipe the tables, counters; sweep and mop the floors…” The blonde subconsciously speaks, listing his remaining chores. “…rearrange the chairs, straighten up the tables, fix the decorations…”
‘There’s no way I’m finishing this in under thirty minutes.’
‘…Or can I?’
‘…No. I can’t.’
‘I can, however, leave this for future me to deal with tomorrow morning…’
Sparkling walked to the other side of the counter to take his cleaning rag and a bottle of cleaning spray, but only after burying his face in his hands and growling in exhaustion. No, he can’t just “leave this for future me to deal with tomorrow morning”, he’ll regret it. He knows he will. He knows from experience.
Shaking off his exhaustion, he starts wiping down each table, eventually going to the counters, moving his hand in the same circular motion every time. He then takes out a broom and its matching dustpan, sweeping every inch of the bar floors, collecting all the dust and… other debris the people had left behind.
Sparkling was still salty about the broken glasses.
“At least they paid for the damage…” The bartender muttered under his breath, continuing his sweeping as he replays the sounds of the impact of those very glasses when they hit the floor. Maybe he was overreacting a little, but this was seven glasses broken! One or two would still be all right, as it was a common occurrence, but seven!?
His grumbling was interrupted upon hearing the doors creak open. By reflex, he turned his head around to the source of the noise.
His green eyes glinted in the dark room, reflecting the lights that leaked around the silhouette he recognizes a bit too well.
“Hi, Sparkling,” A quiet greeting emitted from the figure’s mouth.
…It was Herb, was standing in the doorway, with both of his hands which were covered in white knitted gloves holding the edge of the doors. He was wearing a trench coat that had the color of caramel, complete with his favorite winter fur boots and the Christmas scarf he would always wear every year, the stripes of white and red now a pleasant sight to Sparkling’s eyes. He couldn’t help but feel rather comforted by the other’s presence.
He closes his eyes, a small smile creeping up his face. “Hey, Herb.”
“Are you still busy?” Herb looked around the inside of the already dark bar, examining the entire room. “I’m not interrupting you, am I?”
Admittedly, Sparkling did not expect Herb to come so soon. It didn’t feel like half an hour had already passed. He was happy to see his friend there, of course, but he was still taken aback nonetheless.
“No, no, not at all. I’m just cleaning up for the night.” He looks up at the clock one more time. 11:48 PM. He winces, “Sorry, I didn’t think it would take me this long to close up.”
Hearing and seeing the bartender still holding a broom, Herb quickly walked inside. “Don’t apologize. I was the one who asked to meet up with you so suddenly. Here, let me help.”
“Wait, Herb…” The shorter man took the broom from Sparkling’s hands before he could say anything else. Herb’s brown orbs made eye contact with Sparkling’s own, showing that he wanted to and will help him, despite what he might say.
His eyes glistened in the middle of the dark room. Their surroundings were tinted with a colder hue, a strong contrast with Herb’s warm eyes. They were… beautiful. Mesmerizing, sweet like melted chocolate.
How could he possibly fight back?
The taller man sighs, “Alright, but don't force yourself, okay? Feel free to stop whenever you feel like it." Herb nodded his head, already starting to sweep the floor.
Sparkling resumes his cleaning, albeit he now has Herb to help him. Sparkling rearranges the seats and tables while the other sweeps the floor. For some time, they didn’t talk to each other. The only audible noise was the rustling of the broom and chairs being dragged against the floor.
Despite the lack of a conversation, Sparkling feels at ease to have someone he likes around, helping him with an otherwise exhausting task. The sound of Herb sweeping was comforting, in a way. It made him happy. He knows that Herb is a very kind and sweet person, the type to always lend a hand to anyone who needs it without hesitation, and he admires the florist for it.
“Hey, isn’t this Mint Choco’s?” Herb sounded loud to Sparkling’s ears. He raises his head to look at where Herb was, which is in front of the bar counter holding a violin case.
“Really? Let me see,” Sparkling went over and bent down with one hand on the counter for support. At first sight, the violin case only looks like any regular one, maybe a bit higher in quality. However, a small part on the bottom corner of the case was embroidered with Mint Choco’s initials with golden thread. That should be enough to let people know who the violin belongs to.
“Weird,” Herb gave the violin case to the other to stand up. “He rarely ever forgets his things, especially that. Did something happen earlier?”
“I don’t think so. When he left though, he… “
“What? What happened?”
The blonde turned to look at Herb, “He was just about to leave, but then Vampire said something to him, whatever it was,” the last part was said quickly, “And then he just… yanked him out of the bar.”
“That’s… unexpected,” A look of bewilderment showed itself on Herb’s face. “And for him to be the one doing the yanking, too…”
“Yeah. And you won’t believe this, but he didn’t even finish his drink.”
“What?”
“I know, right?”
The both of them burst out laughing. They were just so puzzled by Vampire’s actions that they could only make jokes about it, the friend they’ve always known as lazy and unmotivated, now being much so eager and excited about something. After some time, they came down from their high.
Sparkling finishes the last of his laughs. “Anyway, I’ll put this in the storage room for now. Wait here, okay? I’ll be right back,” he smiles at the florist as he carries Mint Choco’s violin to the back of the bar.
Herb giggled, “Okay, I’ll just continue the cleaning then.”
Sparkling thanks him from right in front of the storage room. He walks in and reaches for the light switch swiftly. The room lights up, exposing the racks, shelves, and stacks of boxes of various sizes with different labels lined up against the walls. It was neat and very well organized for a storage room, and Sparkling liked it that way. It was easier for him to find things he needed, and it keeps the room clean.
There wasn’t that much space all around from all the stuff he kept in there, except for a shelve he had specifically for things his regulars had left in the bar by accident. Sparkling puts the violin on the shelve, placing it in a way where it would be impossible for it to fall over or get crushed.
He dusts his hands on his way out, switching the lights back off and turning around to close the door behind him. Herb was almost done with the task he had given to himself when Sparkling was back in the main room.
“Just a little more, and… there!” The last table was moved ever so slightly so it would line up with the other tables just right. Herb looks around the room, sighing contently. He couldn’t help but admire the beautiful surroundings. Sparkling does the same. The bar was back to how it was supposed to be.
And then, in the middle of the furniture, they found each other. For a moment, their eyes locked together.
And for that moment, Sparkling swears that his heart skipped a beat.
Happy to see his friend back, Herb warms up. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Sparkling returns, his voice coming out quieter than he intended.
“That should be all, right?” the florist’s boots tapped against the wooden floorboards as he walked over.
“Yeah,” he grins. “Seriously, Herb, thank you so much for helping me out tonight.”
“Oh, don’t mention it! It’s the least I can do,” the shorter gave back an even brighter smile.
They stared at each other again, smiles widening as both of their faces became tinted with pink. Sparkling feels more thumping from his chest, but this time, it felt different. It was intense, but it was gentle. It felt… almost soothing. He feels like he could stay that way forever with him, just basking in his presence in the quiet of the night. It was like he was in a trance.
DING!
Sparkling’s trance was broken when a loud noise of what sounded like a huge bell ringing entered his ears. Herb jumped slightly. It didn’t take long until they both remember what the bell noise is.
“Was that the clock?” Herb turns his head around, looking outside of the building through the glass doors.
The Tick Tock Clock at the center of the town. The building was the source of the noise. Its bell would ring every time a special holiday arrives.
“I think so,” Sparkling rubbed the back of his neck, looking outside with Herb as the distant cheers of people welcoming the day reached their ears.
“It’s already the twenty fifth…”
He nodded.
“…Sparkling?” The blonde looked down, his eyes meeting the florist’s own.
Herb had a blank expression on his face, but then he smiled, his freckled cheeks lifting so slightly.
He speaks in the sweetest mellow voice, “Merry Christmas.”
The way he said those two words were like honey to his ears. Sweet and warm, as if holding his ears in a warm embrace. Sparkling’s lips parted so he could say something back.
“Yeah,” He whispered. “Merry Christmas to you too, Herb.”
Herb giggled slightly. However, Sparkling is unsure whether it was because he noticed how funny he sounded, or if he was just happy.
Either way, Sparkling could only scream internally from all of the emotions he was feeling.
“Well, now that everything’s hunky-dory, should we get going?” The leafy-haired voice broke the silence once again, “It looked like you had a pretty rough night at work, so I don’t want to keep you up for too long so you can rest.”
“Oh, yeah, let me grab my coat.” Sparkling walked over to the coat hanger behind the counter, grabbing every single piece of clothing that was on it. “Don’t worry about it too much, I’m used to being awake at this hour anyway, so I’ll be fine.” He smiles reassuringly.
“Still though…”
“Anyway, you’ve got a place to go in mind?” The blonde slides a pair of gloves over his hands. “I realized you didn’t mention anything other than when you were coming.”
Herb put a hand over his chin. “How about our usual place? That one bench in front of the cake shop?”
Right, the Sugar Gnome Bakery. They sell some of the best cakes there. They could just stay inside the building if they wanted to, but it was Christmas, so Sparkling assumed the place must be crowded and it would be better to just stay outside.
“Sure, why not? It’s a nice place,” Sparkling pulls his coat, inserting his arm in the sleeve. “Plus, we can get some cake if we want to.”
It didn’t even take a second for Herb to start beaming, practically lighting up the entire room. “Then, let’s go!” He was all giggles while skipping over to the front door. Without missing a beat, Sparkling followed suit, laughing playfully himself. He fishes out his keys from his pocket, locking the door behind him before walking away with his florist friend.
The snow crunched under their feet with every step they took. It was now that Sparkling took in his surroundings. The streets are much brighter and livelier than usual. The glow from the street lights illuminated the sidewalk in a nice, warm light. It was a nice change to the dark blue streets he would usually see every night on his way home.
Almost all of the houses they could see still had their lights on. He could hear all sorts of people chattering with joy and muffled Christmas songs. It was in a way similar to what he heard at the bar all night, just much more jolly and definitely more enjoyable.
There were barely any people outside, probably because of the cold. Which caused Sparkling to be surprised to see two kids still so actively playing in one of the house’s front yards. He and Herb quickly recognize them; the explosions, flower petals, and colored snow were enough to tell anyone who had been playing there.
Gumball Cookie and Cherry Cookie, always trying to prove to the other one who is the best. Sparkling remembers how Herb once told him that Gumball and Cherry would so often come up to him and ask him who’s better from the both of them, and how he would always say that they can’t be compared to each other because of how different their crafts are. Despite not knowing much about the children, Sparkling agrees with Herb on that matter.
Cherry and Gumball were so absorbed in their “fight” that they didn’t notice both Herb and Sparkling across the street. Well, they also didn’t want to disturb their fun. So, they continued walking, leaving the two children to themselves.
Another few minutes passed by without any of them saying a word. They were now close to their destination, seeing as the bakery’s lights had become visible to them. Herb perked up, smelling the scent of cakes from the shop. He starts to jog, and soon that jogging turned into running.
Sparkling was taken aback by the abruptness of the movement, making him stop for a split second, before running quickly to catch up with Herb. “W-wait! Herb!”
“Come on! I’m tired of walking!” Herb laughed as he begins to run even faster.
The florist’s laughter filled the air around them. Sparkling tried to laugh too, but he was worried he would slip on the cold ground and fall. That also prevented him from running faster. If it weren’t for that, he would’ve caught up with Herb by now.
Eventually, they arrived in front of the cake shop. Herb quickly takes a seat on their favorite bench, the one in front of some flower bushes. He was still all smiles and giggles when he watched Sparkling run over to him. He slowed down his run, hand gripping the bench for support so he could breathe first.
Releasing the deep breath he just took, he croaked, “You do not start running that fast when you’re tired of walking.”
“Well, I ran so we could get here faster and sit down,” Herb jokes, scooting away to let Sparkling sit on that side of the bench. The blonde complies, dropping his weight onto the chair and throwing his head back. He can already feel his calves hurting. Herb waited until he breathes normally again.
“Feeling better?” Herb leans forward, getting a better view of the other.
“Yeah…” Sparkling straightens his posture. “You could at least warn me if you’re going to start running like that.” Herb laughs apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.
Their breaths formed a thin white mist in the air. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out like this, huh? Just the two of us, no one else,” Herb stares into the sky, leaning back on the bench.
“Now that you mention it, I guess it has,” Green eyes shifted to look at the man next to him. “It’s nice being here, spending time with you again.”
The florist’s brows raised, his face reddening with a rosy hue. A stifled laugh slipped from his lips, “Yeah. I’m happy to be here with you.”
Now it was Sparkling’s turn to blush. Those words made the warm feeling in his stomach bloom and spread to his entire torso. A wave of what seemed like a mix of nervousness and embarrassment washed over him. He attempted to speak, say anything back that will tell Herb that he also appreciates his company, but what came out instead was a string of stutters and broken words.
Watching the bartender struggle with his words, Herb laughed, to which Sparkling responded by breaking off his talking. He closed his eyes, getting increasingly embarrassed by the moment.
But despite his embarrassment, he couldn’t help but feel rather at ease to hear Herb’s voice. If he had to describe what his laugh was like, it was nothing short of lovely. He feels like no matter how hard the florist laughed, it would still sound so harmonic. Truly, it was music to his ears.
…He supposes that hearing him was worth the embarrassment.
Sparkling sighed, relaxing his shoulders, “So anyway, did you want to talk to me about something?”
“Oh, right! I-I wanted to ask you something,” Herb stuttered.
Sparkling stays silent, letting the other continue first. “Do you want anything for Christmas?” He asked. “I’ve been getting more customers at the flower shop lately, so I thought I’d spend the extra money on some gifts for a few friends.”
Gifts, huh? Is there anything he currently needs? Something that has been at the back of his head but hasn’t gotten around to it? In all honesty, Sparkling has gotten a considerable amount of early Christmas gifts from the people he knows, mostly from his bar regulars.
Sparkling admitted that he wasn’t sure if he wanted anything that holiday. There wasn’t anything on his wishlist that he would like to fulfill at that moment. Herb asked him if he was certain, to which sparkling nodded.
“At least let me get you something,” Herb inched closer to him.
“I really don’t need anything, though. You should just keep the money.”
“Just as an appreciation for your hard work this year?” Puppy eyes stared at the bartender, fishing for an answer.
Sparkling couldn’t help but chuckle at the other’s demeanor. “Okay, what do you want for Christmas?” He asked, averting the question to the asker.
Herb raised his eyebrows. He stares at the sky while making thinking noises, “I don’t know. I don’t think I want anything.”
“See? You don’t know what you want either!” Sparkling teased Herb, to which he argued that his case was different and that it didn’t matter that he doesn’t wish for anything.
Their friendly banter only stopped when Sparkling pinched Herb’s cheek, getting a displeased look in return, though there was no venom in it.
“But, still, you have to at least want something, right? Maybe something that’s not a physical item?” The florist moved his body so he was facing the bartender. He rolled his eyes, but thought of an answer to Herb’s question anyway. Something non-physical…
…Maybe there was something he desired.
Sparkling stared at the ground, “Well, if there’s anything do wish for, I-I think it’s…”
A jingle above their heads piqued their curiosity before Sparkling could finish. They both looked up simultaneously, and…
“…Hi,” the redheaded figure above them grinned, his sharp fangs sticking out from his gums.
Horror was written all over Sparkling’s face.
“Vampire!?” Sparkling yelped, his voice unknowingly startling Herb. “What are you doing here!?”
Vampire laughed. “I just wanted to visit ya!” He said, shaking a long stick he was holding, almost in a taunting way so the blonde would look at it. And looked at it he did. He noticed the string tied on the edge of the stick, his eyes following the string downwards, seeing what was tied on the other end. It was a small bunch of dark green leaves with a few winterberries in the middle. It was a…
Sparkling’s face flushed red.
“It’s a mistletoe!” The man above him voiced out a throaty cackle.
“Seriously...?” Sparkling managed to utter. Thoughts raced inside his head, the voices so loud yet so quiet. He wasn’t able to think. It was like his brain had melted despite the freezing cold weather.
The bush behind them rustled, a hissing noise emanating from it. All three men turned their heads to the bush. Behind it, to their surprise, was Mint Choco. His brows were raised and his lips were thin, like if “uh oh” was a facial expression. The look slowly turned into a nervous grin. He didn’t think the noises he was making would be audible by anyone but Vampire.
Vampire swiftly floated over to his friend, wrapping an arm around his torso, the stick with the mistletoe still on the other hand. That hand was sticking out so the mistletoe could still reach Herb and Sparkling from behind the bush.
“You’re under the mistletoeee,” He chimed, that annoying smirk still plastered on his face. “You know what to do.”
“Vampire—” Mint Choco struggled from under his arm, but far too anxious to move too much at the same time. “L-let me go.”
Not one of the four said a thing; two not knowing what to think, and the other two just watching them from behind a bush. Vampire’s somewhat victorious noise shatters the noiselessness between them. “Welp, it’s now time for us to leave. We’ll leave you guys to yourselves.”
“Vampire, don’t-“ Mint Choco was cut off by his own shrieking when Vampire suddenly pulled him up into the air, flying away from them into god knows where. His cries were heard for about ten, maybe twelve seconds after their take-off until they were completely out of range.
The two men left there turned their heads to each other, though none of them made an effort to make eye contact. They were just much too stunned to do anything. Sparkling only somehow managed to muster up enough brainpower to cover his hands with his cold palms.
“Oh my god…” He groaned, “They’re idiots.” He pulls down his hands, causing his lower lids to stretch down lightly. He would apologize for that pair’s behavior, but he could hardly form words inside his head.
He heard Herb stammering, and just like that, it was like he was brought back to earth. He looks up at the florist, staring into the other’s eyes even though the other man was looking somewhere else.
He speaks in a shaky voice, “Do you want to… you know.”
…Do what?
It took Sparkling some time for him to realize what Herb meant, and when it dawned on him, he sharply inhaled air into his lungs. “Y-you mean… But—”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to!” Herb said a tad too quickly, shaking his hands in front of his chest. “I mean, it’s not like the mistletoe is still here anyway.”
“No! No no no nonono, Herb,” The blonde frantically reach for the other’s shoulders to hold them firmly. “T-That’s not what I meant.”
“Then, um… Do you want to do it?”
Sparkling freezes in position. He bit his inner lip. He could hear his heart beating like it was in his ears. His stomach churned in the best way possible, his chest filled with both anxiousness and excitement.
Sparkling gulped, “Do you want to?”
Herb’s hand crawled closer, climbing over to the other’s knee. The contact sent shivers through his body, giving him the best goosebumps he has ever felt.
“I…” The florist’s free hand reached out to Sparkling’s face, his fingertips grazing over his jawline so softly. Their eyes locked, both of them half-lidded. “I think I do.”
Sparkling tightens his grip on Herb’s shoulders, still careful to not accidentally hurt him. He could feel Herb’s face inching closer to his own, but by the gods, it was agonizingly slow. His vision became blurry as his chest felt like it would explode at any moment. He felt so hot from the blood pumping from his heart, and yet so cold from the anxiety he was experiencing. He screwed his eyes shut, hoping that Herb would just hurry up and close the gap between them.
…And closed the gap he did. He pressed his lips against Sparkling’s own. The bartender flinched at the contact, returning the kiss the moment he felt the touch. Goodness, the very lips he had always dreamt of touching, were now intertwined with his own. It was so much softer and warmer than he could ever imagine, and he loved how their lips fit so snugly with each other. His grip on Herb didn’t budge, fearing the moment would disappear if he were to let go.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally pulled away, their eyes still connected, love glowing in them. Sparkling exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Oh,” Sparkling breathed. “Oh wow…”
“Yeah,” Herb’s cheeks lifted. “Wow…”
Herb looked away, breaking their eye contact. He stifled out a laugh, before tightly wrapping his arms around Sparkling’s waist and resting his head on the crook of his neck. “I can’t believe we just did that,” He sighed.
Oh, how Herb was holding him in such a warm embrace. He could’ve melted from the touch if he hadn’t yet turned into a puddle from the kiss.
Sparkling returns the hug, placing his hands on the florist’s back. He leaned his head against the other’s. “Yeah… That was awesome.” Sparkling had been waiting for this day to come, where he would confess his love to Herb, where their lips would finally meet. He just never thought that day would come so soon.
“Hey, Herb?”
“Mm?”
Sparkling sighed, releasing all the pent up anxiety in him. “I love you,” he whispered. He could feel Herb smile against his neck.
“I love you, too, Sparkling.” He tittered. “I love you so much.”
“Not as much as I love you,” Sparkling laughed, ruffling Herb’s leafy hair.
“Oh, stop that!” Herb shakes his head around and planted a big kiss on his now boyfriend’s cheek. Sparkling kissed Herb on his forehead. Herb fought back by placing another kiss on the bridge of his nose. They began showering each other with kisses between giggles, never once letting go of the other.
It was then, that Sparkling wished for them to stay that way forever. For them to stay in each other’s arms for the remainder of their lives.
~~~
“My god, Vampire!” Mint Choco raised his voice, fixing his jacket from the creases that had formed. “You can’t just take me anywhere you want without notice like that, especially not flying!”
“Hehe, sorry…” Vampire scratched the back of his head, the mistletoe stick somehow still in his other hand.
“You had better be,” A line formed between his eyebrows. “One, I am currently not with my violin because you dragged me out of the bar. Two, I didn’t even get to pay for my drinks, also because you dragged me out of the bar. Three, the number of times you almost dropped me while we were flying…”
“Hey! I told you I would catch you if you fell.”
“Yes, I know that, of course I do. Just…” Mint Choco placed a palm over his face. “Next time, at least tell me beforehand that you’re going to take me flying… or at least bring me a parachute bag.” He firmly stated, before adding that a sickbag would also be appreciated.
“Alright, I’m sorry,” Vampire laughed apologetically.
Mint parted his lips to talk, but stopped when he heard somebody call for him from behind. “Mint Choco?” The voice called. It was a woman’s voice, one that was familiar to the man.
“Cocoa Cookie?” He turns around, meeting the woman dressed in white with a marshmallow hat. “What are you doing here? And in this hour, too…”
“Oh, I just wanted to give you this, but when I got to your house, you weren’t there. So, I thought I’d just look for you instead!” Cocoa held up a medium sized present box, decorated with reindeer-patterned wrapping paper.
Mint Choco quickly accepted the gift, thanking the shorter woman for it. He, too, apologizes for making her walk so far just to give him the gift. In the middle of his apologies, he glared at Vampire, only getting a funny looking smile in response.
“Thank you so much, Cocoa…” Mint blushed at the thoughtfulness of his friend. “But, what is this you’re giving me?”
Cocoa giggled. “Oh, it’s nothing! You can open it when you get back home. I wouldn’t want to spoil…” She tilted her head upwards, a chime she heard caught her attention. Her eyes went round as she gasped, covering her mouth with both of her hands as she went red. Confused, Mint Choco looked above him…
Very slowly, Mint Choco turned his head to face Vampire, his mouth and eyes wide open.
The redhead gave back a wide grin, holding up the mistletoe above them.