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Sue was out of her element. Tess had been out of high school for a while now, but her massive Christmas parties at her massive house happened all the same, honestly, Sue was baffled she was invited. Not that the two of them weren’t friends, or at least acquaintances, she just would have assumed that Tess would have forgotten about her by now. But clearly she didn't because there she sat, at the bar in the back of a crowded room full of people she mostly didn't know, with her favorite person beside her.
Tess let her bring a plus one, obviously, she brought Amaya. Amaya was the one person she wanted most in a situation like this (or any situation for that matter). The short tabby was calm, optimistic, and bubbly, and considering the fact she never spoke, Sue didn't have to worry about not hearing her! Not that she couldn’t speak of course, but she didn't the majority of the time. The two of them could already have an entire conversation with their eyes alone, so it wouldn't make a difference here.
On her other side sat McCain, who looked at least twenty times more uncomfortable than both of the girls combined. McCain wouldn’t have gone but did because Sue had. She wondered why Tess even invited him, he didn't exactly radiate the aura of a dude who liked parties. His legs were crossed tightly with his hands intertwined, his white brow furrowed hard over his jet-black glasses. Sue didn't speak to him, she could tell he was already overstimulated by this place, but she assumed the general presence of a friend couldn't hurt. After all, Amaya was already doing the same thing for her.
Sue’s wandering mind was interrupted however by a figure emerging from the crowd, giving the three of them a polite wave as he approached. It was Abbey, the only person she knew at this party she hadn’t found before ending up over here. Sue wasn’t exceptionally close to Abbey but they were friends all the same, Amaya returned his wave with her own and a greeting nod. Sue’s amber eyes could help to flick over to Amaya for a second as the tabby smiled, her smile was adorable, everything about her was adorable.
“Quite the party huh?” Abbey said, opening the conversation as he raised his voice just enough to be heard clearly.
“Y-yeah!” Sue responded sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, “It’s a little much for me honestly, I usually don't go to these kinds of parties.” Abbey cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised as he learned on the bar.
“Really? I assumed you were all about Christmas!”
The sand-colored cat chuckled, “I am! I wear mistletoe around my neck pretty much every day after all. I just, I don't know, I guess I’m not really too much of a party animal.” She had gotten more jokes about her necklace tonight than she had at any other Christmas in her life. It wasn’t even real, one red berry made of resin connected to two green leaves tied by a string around her neck. She didn't mind the attention it brought too much, it was her favorite necklace after all, and at least no one had tried to use it to kiss her, she thought about that possibility way too much considering it had never happened.
The two’s small talk petered on for a while, the both of them sharing general statements about the party or how they’d been. After about a minute or so of catching up the sand-furred theater major felt a soft touch on the back of her arm which made her jump, however, she knew exactly who was behind her. Amaya grasped her arm softly, sliding out of her seat and lightly gesturing in a direction away from the group. Sue understood the message, and rose from her seat in turn,
“Sorry, we gotta do something real quick, see you two in a minute!”
Abbey smiled as the two began to part into the crowd, “No problem!” and with that, both of the boys were out of sight. Sue followed her silent companion through the crowd, and Amaya’s soft hand slid down her arm to lock with Sue’s. They had held hands before, they had been best friends for years, but it always made Sue’s heart rate rise. She would swear the little Tabby wouldn't think anything of it, after all, she would do it all the time, so clearly Amaya must have thought it was a normal thing that all friends do, right?
Amaya led her up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, before eventually leading her into an empty bedroom. As Amaya closed the door behind her, silently and swiftly locking it, the world for the two of them went quiet for the first time since they stepped into the building, and Amaya let out a small sigh.
“So…” Sue tilted her head innocently as Amaya walked over to her with her hands behind her back, “What’s up?” Sue’s eyes widened slightly as Amaya began to part her lips.
“S-sorry.” The short tabby giggled, “I don't think you would have heard me out there even if I whispered to you.” Her voice was incredibly soft and quiet, only louder than a whisper at its peak, Sue was incredibly proud to be one of the only people to have heard it.
“O-oh! Haha!” She chuckled, flustered and nervous and not knowing what to say, she could have sworn she was better at improv than this, “Y-yeah no problem!”
Amaya closed the distance between them until they were only about an inch away from each other. Sue could feel her face slightly flushing, they had done this hundreds of times, they mostly communicated in whispers anyway, but for some reason, this time felt different to her. Amaya stared deep into her eyes for a moment, before softly touching a hand to Sue’s chest, with a finger over her necklace.
“Sue…?”
The long-haired feline could feel the air catching in her throat, “A-Amaya..?”
“That’s not mistletoe.”
“...huh?” Sue’s mind went blank as her eye’s drifted down to her necklace, which Amaya was gently pointing to, “Wh-, wh-,”
An amused but sympathetic smile spread across Amaya’s face, “It’s holly, Sue.” Sue wore a completely blank smile on her lips as her brain began to rapidly replay her calling her necklace mistletoe for the entire party without anyone ever correcting her.
“Oh, my god.” Both of them began to giggle, “I am so stupid.”
“No no it’s fine,” Amaya said as she caught her breath, putting both of her hands behind her back and fidgeting slightly, her brown eyes darting away, “I-It's a common misconception.” The two of them stood for a second, Amaya’s eyes bouncing around the room. Sue tilted her head at the slight nervousness the short girl was radiating before Amaya produced a small item from behind her. It was a small plant with white berries, tied together with a scarlet bow. Amaya held it up to Sue, Sue assumed that was so she could see it better. Amaya’s breaths were heavy, but she was trying her best to stay composed, clearly, that was working, because Sue was completely oblivious. “T-this,” Amaya whispered, “is mistletoe.”
Sue’s mouth opened to respond, but she was quickly silenced as Amaya’s arm wrapped around her torso and pressed their bodies together. The holly-wearing feline’s heart leaped into her throat as Amaya’s soft lips pressed against hers, and she let her eyes flutter closed as Amaya squeezed her tighter. Sue felt like she could stay in this house, in this bedroom, in this section of the floor with Amaya forever, the taste of the subpar punch from downstairs lingering on their conjoined lips. Amaya let out a small shaky breath as the kiss ended, Sue’s air was still caught in her throat. As they stared at each other a small smile spread across Amaya’s face and the blonde could feel her favorite person's breath on her cheek as she whispered to her after giggling,
“Merry Christmas!” and as swiftly as it happened Amaya turned around, gliding to the door and giving Sue a final smile and wink before slipping away. Sue’s eyes followed her tabby crush as she left, her face far redder than her necklace could ever even hope to be. She stood there for a moment processing the best moment of her year, before she exited the room as well, heading downstairs once again with a gigantic smile on her face.
The massive increase in noise didn't bother her as she happily weaved through the crowd. When she returned to her group, Amaya was already there, greeting her with a warm smile as she always did. A dash of blush on her face was the only sign anything had occurred. Sue however was nowhere near as subtle, and McCain raised his head just enough to raise an eyebrow at her as she approached.
“Who the hell beat you with the happy stick?”
“I FUCKING LOVE CHRISTMAS.”