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24th of December. Christmas Eve. The sky was dark, dappled with little white stars in between greyish clouds, and the street was lit up by the cheap, tacky, LED Christmas lights.
“Youhei, focus! It’s icy!”
Through these streets, a pair of lovebirds stumbled, clinging onto each other for stability. Youhei and Matthias were returning from Taku’s Christmas party. Although he wasn’t usually one for Christmas, being Shinto, it was never really something he had celebrated, Matthias had hooked him into it and taken responsibility for the planning of it. To him, a party was a party, even if it was hosted at his own home.
Youhei was… incredibly drunk. Even that was an understatement. He could barely walk in a straight line. Holding him up was Matthias, tipsy, but sober enough to get them home safe. He made sure of that; they couldn’t end up sleeping at Taku’s, they had plans the next day.
For the fifth time in thirty seconds, Youhei took a step, feet slipping and lurching forwards, almost making them both face plant the pavement. The violinist laughed, gripping onto the taller man.
“You need to be more careful with your drink, Nino.” Matthias scolded, “You’re going to be hungover tomorrow. And we’ll both end up with scrapes on our knees at this rate— I can’t magically keep on catching you.”
“It’s a party! Can’t I let loose a little?” He slurred, leaning against his boyfriend, “If scrapes are an issue, why don’t you just… carry me home? Like a princess or something?”
Matthias knew this was a joke. Youhei always joked about him doing things like that, or about making out or sex and stuff. It was automatic: sometimes he didn’t even want to do anything, and he would still make the jokes. But the dressage rider was feeling bold, probably from the alcohol in his system, though not a lot.
“Alright then.” He paused in his tracks, slipping the jacket off Youhei’s shoulders and onto his own. “Hold onto me. Put your hands…” He moved his hands carefully so they were in the right position, wrapped around his shoulders.
“W-Huh? You’re really gonna—“
And before Youhei could finish his sentence, he was already up, held tightly against Matthias’ chest. It almost sobered him. Almost. His cheeks were already tinged pink, partly from the alcohol, partly from the cold that had been clawing at their faces, but now he was almost a shade of fuchsia. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Don’t wriggle too much.” He commanded, adjusting his grip on the man so he was more comfortable.
“And what if I do?”
“I’ll drop you.”
***
Soon enough, the pair reached their front door. Matthias had decorated the front of their house with lights, their door with a wreath, a garland, mini Christmas trees. He was always the decorator between the two of them, although he was no artist, he had a keen eye for details. Sure, their front door wasn’t the most expensive or the best decorated, but it was theirs.
“Youhei, can you grab my keys? They’re in my left pocket. My hands are a little full.”
Ninomiya cackled. “I’ll try?” He removed a hand from around his shoulders, lithe fingers reaching down to find his pocket, grazing the denim of his trousers. Soon enough, he managed to reach the key. The violinist tilted his head towards the door, and Matthias shuffled towards the lock. In a swift motion, he slid the key into the lock, jostling it around for a few moments, then twisting the knob so they could enter.
The warmth hit them all at once, and Matthias quickly stepped inside. “You’re… so heavy, Nino.” His voice was strained, “My arms are aching.”
“Hey, your choice to carry me! I’m comfortable. You can keep holding me forever if you wanna.”
“I wish. I’m not strong enough for that.”
The pair fell into a comfortable silence as Matthias kicked his shoes off and began to wander into the house. At least until…
“Youhei. Look up.”
In response, the man quickly tilted his face upwards and saw, suspended from the doorframe, was a small bunch of green leaves, dotted with little pale berries. Mistletoe. As Matthias was always the one to decorate around the house, it meant he got most of the say in what decorations to put up. And, as was custom, he had hung mistletoe in the doorway. How could he not? It was their first Christmas living together, he had to.
“Mistletoe.”
“Yeah. And we’re under it.”
“So…?”
It was only then, when Youhei looked at him like he had grown a second head, that it hit Matthias like a brick wall: was kissing under mistletoe not a common thing in Japan?
“You don’t… do anything with mistletoe?”
“We decorate with it. Sometimes. But that’s it really. Is there... a tradition in Belgium or something?”
Is that a thing in Europe? Mentally, Matthias had burst out laughing and was rolling around on the floor uncontrollably. How the hell did some places not kiss under mistletoe? That’s like… the cutest custom ever. Why was Youhei not aware of this? Japan was seriously missing out.
“It's a European thing! If people are caught under the mistletoe, they kiss. It’s a huge thing. Is it seriously not done here?”
The violinist’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. That’s not a thing.”
“It is!”
“Dude, If I knew that existed, I would’ve helped you decorate and like– Hung some from every surface!” He sputtered, “You’re actually serious? You need to take me to Europe. I’d be kissing everyone. No European boy would be safe.”
“There’s a European boy right here who you can kiss right now.” He smirked, head tilted to one side, “I’m putting you down first, though. You’re too heavy.” He planted the man’s feet onto the wooden floors with a small thud.
“Hey! Not very nice. I was comfortable."
“Shh. Just kiss me.”
Youhei rose up onto his tiptoes, only slightly, just to match their heights, and their lips pressed together. It was soft. Tender, almost. Domestic. After a few brief moments of connection, they drew apart, faces still close and breaths still heavy, warm on the other’s cheeks.
“I love you, Matthias. A– a lot. I don’t think I tell you enough.” He whispered.
“I think I tell you too much.” They both laughed, “But I love you.”